Consumers are urged to follow the following guidelines to guard against metal theft from co-op facilities and your own property.

What to look for around electrical facilities:
• Open substation gates, open equipment, missing covers to underground vaults or covers out of place, hanging wire, or wire on the ground. Do not touch wires or equipment you see and keep others away until police or co-op lineworkers arrive to make sure there is no danger.
• Cut fences or locks near electric substations, or holes dug underneath fences.
• Anyone around electric substations or electric facilities or loitering around utility poles — other than co-op personnel, contractors, or personnel from telephone or cable companies. Call the police. Never confront suspicious people yourself.
• Individuals carrying large bundles of wire in the neighborhood or large rolls of copper wire in the back of pickup trucks that have no utility markings.

What to do to protect your property:
• Install motion-sensor lights on the outside of your house and business to deter possible thieves.
• Store tools and wire cutters in a secure location, and never leave them out while you are away.
• If you work in construction, do not leave any wires or plumbing unattended or leave loose wire at the job site, especially overnight.
• Air conditioning units are particularly attractive, and are often tampered with or stolen for their copper coils and pipes that connect to HVAC systems.
• Secure your home/building access with dead bolts, and door and window locks.
• Trim or remove shrubbery or other landscaping that allows criminals to hide from view on your property.
• Mark metals with the company’s name using paint, hard-to-remove decals or engraving equipment.
• Post “No Trespassing” placards around the property or signs indicating the presence of a surveillance or security system to deter thieves. Even with non-active systems, these signs tend to discourage some instances of metal theft.

If a metal theft does occur, call the police immediately so that local recyclers and scrap dealers are alerted. Be sure to preserve the crime scene, including tire tracks, shoe tracks and fingerprints. This evidence could be used to help prosecute the thieves if they are caught.

Help spread the word about the deadly consequences that can result from trying to steal copper or aluminum. If it looks suspicious, report it.

Go to the April 2011 Table of Contents