Police are cracking down on a new trend in thievery that leaves every neighborhood vulnerable.
Undercover detectives busted copper thieves in a La Jolla condominium complex July 25, resulting in one arrest. The local copper crooks left a devastating amount of damage pillaging area schools ” mainly in Point Loma and Ocean Beach ” but damage branched to areas such as Pacific Beach, University City and Old Town this past year.
“It makes us mad that it’s so easy to steal,” said Johnny LeRoy, of Old Town Recycling. “The best is wire from power lines, or the kind that comes out of walls is good, too. But now at least people put a lock on it.”
LeRoy and his wife run a recycling business in Old Town. Because copper thievery is a growing trend, targeting area schools and public utilities for its high payout ” mostly plumbing fixtures and electrical wiring ” police have asked recyclers like LeRoy to take precautionary measures, ensuring capture and arrest of criminals. LeRoy and his wife acquiesce, but said they are angry that people don’t protect the metal.
“When we go to restaurants around here, we’ve seen copper just sitting around with nobody there,” LeRoy said. “So if you are the thief, what are you going to do?”
Although copper thieves made news as drug addicts, LeRoy said a new breed has arisen.
“In the first wave, there used to be more people [selling stolen copper] addicted to drugs. And the second wave was to survive. Now, it’s mixed ” we have both,” LeRoy said. “It’s the new welfare of the people. It’s the easy way. They don’t have to apply for it.”
Whether because of welfare or drug addictions, San Diego was hit hard, costing the school district about $250,000, according to Lt. Rueben Littlejohn of the San Diego Unified School District Police Department. Littlejohn’s team of state police working for San Diego’s school district began investigating copper thievery about one year ago.
“We’re up to around 30 cases districtwide,” Littlejohn said.
Littlejohn said more than 30 schools were vandalized for their copper piping, wiring and other metals like brass backflow systems. According to police, thieves found that breaking into schools and stealing from public utilities was easier than breaking into cars.
“It’s not exclusive to schools,” Littlejohn said. “Big businesses in those same neighborhoods are victims too.”
Copper crooks entered onto area schools this past year, stealing hundreds of pounds of wiring and closing classes.
“Getting the time back with the students after the fact can’t happen,” Littlejohn said. “There’s a general interest because we’re here to provide to the kids.”
Police began taking precautionary measures, placing signatures like embossing on the copper to follow it once it was stolen. The San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and Littlejohn’s team trace copper stolen from public schools or utilities, he said.
“The thieves will take 200 or 300 pounds of the stuff at a time,” said a San Diego police detective working undercover on ongoing area copper cases. “They take it home that night and strip the wire into 18-inch lengths.”
According to the detective, the copper crooks take the stolen metal to a local recycler for about $1.85 per pound.
“It’s a very hard job because a lot of people are doing the wrong thing,” LeRoy said.
Although local law requires recyclers to record driver’s license numbers and license plates, LeRoy said he won’t accept more than 25 pounds of copper unless the customer owns a construction company.
“When I have a feeling he’s not a regular guy, I’ll keep the stuff for a couple of weeks,” LeRoy said.
Politicians proposed new legislation to make selling metals like copper more difficult, the detective said, including a waiting period for checks issued. Police hope the bill gets passed, he said. Until that day, they count on legitimate recyclers to work with them.
According to police, after thieves sell copper to a recycling center, that recycling center sells to a larger nation that converts the metal back into a product.
“A majority of recycled products are being recycled to China. The ultimate goal is to sell [the metals] back to China,” the detective said.
Copper prices change daily. Some of the biggest victims include public utility companies, including San Diego Gas & Electric, which is funding a Crimestoppers reward, police said.
Anyone who turns in a copper thief for prosecution will receive up to $2,000, police said. To report a copper theft, call (888) 580-TIPS.