A recent spate of power and telecommunications outages across North Texas can be traced to copper thieves who have been removing the copper wiring from utility poles and selling it to scrap yards.
In early August, Garland Police arrested three persons for stealing $10,000 worth of copper from a utility pole.
In July, a thief was caught stealing copper in Dallas around 1:30 p.m. He attempted to get away with $20,000 worth of copper that belonged to AT&T.
In late August, some parts of Tarrant County went as long as weeks without service. AT&T blamed the extended service outage on the copper thieves.
“Some customers in the Glendale area of Fort Worth may be experiencing service disruptions due to repeated incidences of copper theft in the area,” said an AT&T spokesperson, per NBC 5 DFW.
“Theft and vandalism of critical communications infrastructure are serious matters that disrupt essential services for our customers, public safety, and the community at large. We’re actively working with local law enforcement as they investigate to find those responsible,” the spokesperson said.
“It changes everything you do. No internet, no phones, no TV. It’s kind of a big deal,” Tarrant County resident Jason Woolsey said to NBC 5. “A lot of folks out here work remotely. They run their businesses. They’re all impacted.”
AT&T told the Dallas Observer that it is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of copper cable thieves and those attempting to sell or purchase copper stolen from AT&T in Dallas.
In North Texas, convicted copper thieves are generally charged with misdemeanors, with relatively low fines and short jail sentences offering little in the way of a deterrent.
Public Information Officer Melinda Gutierrez of the Dallas Police Department told the Dallas Observer that residents should look for identification to prevent mistaking a thief for a service worker. Additionally, security cameras and alarm systems can help combat the problem.
Copper thieves have long plagued the Dallas area. In 2022, The Dallas Express reported that they were tearing down cables, disrupting internet service, and cutting off residents’ ability to call 911.
Relatedly, DPD has been hampered by a shortage of officers. Despite a report calling for a force of about 4,000, DPD fields only around 3,000, which has negatively impacted response times. The department’s budget of $654 million this fiscal year is also smaller than that of law enforcement agencies in other high-crime cities.