Copper Crime – Prevention and Protection
By Frank Ross
Copper crime is one of the most pervasive criminal activities in our society today. It has spread at an alarming rate, reeking financial havoc to many industries as well as individuals. A sagging economy worldwide, increased demand for metals created by developing countries such as China and mining strikes that have crippled mill production have combined to create a situation that makes copper components and copper wire very attractive to criminals. Copper thieves sell their contraband to recyclers for a fraction of the cost to victims, with little regard for power outages or the impact it has on electrical producers or the customers they serve.
Thousands of homes that are sitting empty across the nation, awaiting the foreclosure process, are a common target of metal thieves, but the most high-profile targets, with the greatest exposure, are public utilities such as electric power producers, telephone companies and cell phone providers. These large companies are exposed over huge geographic regions, and they own thousands of miles of copper wire, copper busbar and other copper electrical components that are attractive to copper thieves looking for a fast, easy buck.
This crime is most disturbing because it imperils not only the lives of the criminals, but repair workers and home owners who unexpectedly come into contact with bare wires left by thieves can be electrocuted.
While many states have enacted new laws aimed at curtailing illegal recycling, in many areas, thieves are stealing products like ground bars, wire and copper air conditioning coils, walking into their neighborhood metal recycler and walking out with cash. Over the next few weeks we will be taking an in-depth look at the crime, the criminals, efforts of law enforcement, the courts and offering suggestions for becoming pro-active against copper crime.
One of the greatest challenges in identifying and catching copper thieves, is that they often dress like repairmen you would normally expect to see working in an electrical panel or loading copper into the back of a truck. People passing by see them and think nothing of it, and this simple fact has emboldened many thieves into daring daylight thefts.
While there are a number of options to dealing with this growing problem, most of them are only effective in the attempt to arrest and prosecute. Video cameras provide evidence of a crime; they do not stop or prohibit a theft in progress and in some cases they steal the cameras. Locks, security lighting, high fences, even concertina wire has proven to be only a minor inconvenience to these persistent criminals.
Valuable tips on preventing the theft of Copper Bus and Grounding Bars…
We’ll look at the more expensive options in a later article, but for now, let’s look at inexpensive options that make a lot of sense.
Three simple steps can discourage copper theft. The first is to plate your electrical components with nickel, tin or a tin alloy. In addition to the benefits already stated, plating masks copper electrical components, and also contaminates the metal’s purity when melted down for recycling, making the copper worthless to thieves and recyclers.
The second step is to stamp your company name into the metal: “Property of ABC Company…” No thief in their right mind can sell marked copper components to honest recyclers, who under the pressure of the current copper-theft frenzy will have no choice but to phone the police.
Another simple step is intended to frustrate and slow the process of removal. Security ground bar kits use hex head bolts that are configured to make removal impossible without the proper tools. Though it’s possible to remove them with enough heavy hacking and whacking, it is not an attractive option to thieves in a hurry. Every additional minute that it takes a thief to remove a copper component extends the time that the thief is exposed to detection and arrest.
Storm also offers custom stamping for theft prevention. Allow us to stamp your company name, logo, phone number, or a Do Not Recycle message into each ground bar. For more information, link to our live chat center or call toll free: 1-888-334-2177.
In our next installment on copper crime, we look at some of the things large power producers are doing to protect themselves and their customers.
