dpb wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 09/08/06 09:28 am dpb wrote:

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that thefts of copper are on
the rise.
They just now finding that out??? Where they been?

Bunch took sections out of a _live_ transmission line/substatuion not
far from here a couple weeks or so ago...37 kV line. Seems some former
linemen or a couple w/ a penchant for moonlighting (so to speak)...

But I'm not sure that they were stealing from residences before. The
latest report says that if you have an accessible crawl space, anything
copper may disappear -- even while you are home.
...

Before when????

Since metal prices have risen, there have been folks pilfering
everything that ain't tied down and a lot that is. They've been
stripping houses under construction, salvage yards, electrical supply
storage yards and warehouses, electric utilities, residential,
whatever. Folks in larger town not too far away came home from
vacation a few months ago to find the whole house gutted--wiring,
plumbing, etc., just ripped out of the walls. Left all the personal
belongings untouched except for a cache of collectible coins they
happened to find apparently by accident. Guys just backed truck up to
the garage door and walked in/out in broad daylight. Neighbors
apparently thought they had hired some renovation work to be done while
they were gone so weren't excessively concerned.

Certainly nothing anybody should be surprised about if they pay any
attention at all to local news. It's actually more of the large, HV
stuff that is actually in operation that is the newer phenomenon where
the potential payback seems high enough folks are risking life over it.
A simple theft charge if get caught in somebody's house or on a
construction site isn't a lot of deterrent--getting "bit" by a 37 kV
line is pretty much a "one strike, yer out" scenario.

IMO, $0.02, YMMV, etc., ...


Where do these people live? Thieves are all
about, but not many are industrious enough to
strip copper out of a house, especially a house
someone is living in. In my region, no thief
would enjoy being caught (and they would likely be
caught) stripping a house. I doubt that few would
ever get to the judicial system,but most would
wish they had.