With a new initiative aimed at fighting copper cable thefts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, AT&T has unveiled a reward program offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in those types of crimes.
The announcement was made earlier this week by the company, and focused on the need for community awareness on the growing number of copper thefts, as they have previously disrupted essential phone and internet services across North Texas.
“When they take out our network, unfortunately, it imperils the lives and livelihoods of our customers. So we’ve been working with law enforcement to better communicate with each other, but work together to solve these problems, and that’s what this reward is all about,” Michael Peterson, Assistant V.P. of External Affairs at AT&T Texas said.
AT&T and city of Dallas officials continue to report that the theft of copper wiring has become a persistent problem, jeopardizing the communications infrastructure that residents rely on for safety and life’s daily duties.
“When thieves target copper wiring, they often damage critical infrastructure, leaving our residents without essential services or a way to contact loved ones during an emergency,” said Mayor Tennell Atkins.
“It’s a serious issue that impacts everyone. That’s why we need to spread awareness and work together to stop those responsible,” he added.
The rise in copper thefts has prompted some pretty big power outages, such as one in June, in which an outage was caused by copper theft that impacted DFW residents’ cell and internet services for days. In August, residents in Fort Worth and nearby areas reported complete outages and intermittent interruptions to their TV and internet services lasting a week or longer, per NBC DFW.
Additionally, multiple service disruptions occurred again in September due to copper theft. For the second time within that single month, residents in Fort Worth experienced interruptions in internet, phone, and TV services as thieves stripped copper wiring from utility poles to sell for scrap, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
City officials have also expressed alarm at the broader implications of these thefts, with Dallas City Council Member Carolyn King Arnold saying, “On a larger scale, the threat becomes to our major modes of transportation, perhaps some of our police stations. As this session comes up, we would like to have the partnership around the introduction of legislation that will make this penalty for the actual sale and trading of copper and fiber with a tighter penalty.”
The new initiative comes on the heels of a meeting between AT&T representatives and city leaders on Oct. 4, in which concerns about the impact of copper thefts were discussed.
AT&T claims it will provide a reward for “specific and detailed information” that results in the arrest and conviction of individuals involved in copper cable thefts or those involved in any attempts to buy or sell stolen copper in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, reported CultureMap.
Anyone with information about copper cable thefts can contact AT&T’s Global Security & Investigations team at (800) 807-4205. According to a recent Instagram post from CrimeWatch, the reward program will remain active until Nov. 1, 2025, and all tips can be submitted anonymously.
