Spike in Copper Theft in Atlanta

By Jonathan Shapiro

Atlanta, GA – Nine different reports of stolen copper in the last few weeks have AT&T concerned.

“It's a very hazardous and dangerous endeavor for those who are doing it,” says AT&T spokesperson Dawn Benton. “And it's also a public safety issue because there are temporary service disruptions – I mean we get out there quickly and restore service still there's an impact on public health and emergency services.”

The culprits steal from a variety of equipment, sometimes digging the copper from the ground, sometimes climbing up telephone poles.

Thieves then sell the copper to scrap metal dealers by the pound and usually make around $500 for each haul.

Benton blames the spike on the bad economy and the increased price of copper.

Right now, copper is priced between $2.50 and $3.00 a pound.

Benton is urging those that see unusual activity near utility lines to report it to local authorities.