Thieves prefer heavy metal

Copper: chemical element with the symbol Cu, atomic number 29, very high thermal and electrical conductivity and reddish-orange in color.

Copper: worth $2-4/pound, easily found on construction sites, communications towers and vacant buildings and the latest apple of many a thieves’ eye.

On Nov. 7, two copper thefts were reported in Red Oak — 160 feet of wire from a Chat Mobility Tower at 1926 Ironwood Ave. and four strands of wire from the base of the KCSI/KOAK tower at 1924 Ironwood Ave. The stolen amounts have an estimated worth of $2,000 and $1,000, respectively, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. No further information is available, however, the two cases are likely connected due to their close proximity.

Pottawattamie County also saw a recent copper theft last week from a U.S. Cellular tower just north of Council Bluffs, which resulted in the arrest of three alleged copper thieves. After being pulled over for speeding, Jodi Huftless, 24, of Plattsmouth, Neb., April Hinman, 32, of Pacific Junction and David Jay, 31, of Glenwood were arrested for suspicion of first-degree theft, first-degree criminal mischief, third-degree burglary and possession of burglary tools when the arresting officer spotted industrial sized bolt cutters and copper wire in the vehicle. The copper and damage to the cell tower are estimated at $12,000. All three alleged thieves are being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail on $10,000 bond.

According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s office, there is no evidence if the Pottawattamie County arrests are connected with the theft from Red Oak. However, they will be looking into it.

Is it a problem?

While Montgomery County hasn’t seen many copper thefts, Montgomery County Sheriff Joe Sampson said it is a growing, serious problem in the surrounding areas.

Metal prices, especially copper, have skyrocketed in recent years — increasing from about $.75 a pound in 2002 to almost $3.50 in 2012 — making metal theft a $1 billion a year industry, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.    

From 2009-2012, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reviewed more than 25,000 claims for metal theft, 96 percent of which concerned copper. The increasing theft therefore plays a major role in the increasing price of copper. For example, during 2009 the Comex brand of copper sold for around $1.50 a pound with 600 claimed thefts; by 2011, the price had increased to almost $4 a pound with 1,400 claimed thefts, according to the NICB.

While not a new problem, Sampson said copper thefts have increased in the last few decades for several reasons. Aside from the obvious increase in price, he also said the valuable metal is now more available to thieves, if they know where to look. In the past, he said most copper thefts occurred at railroad tracks, but now, with increased technology, communication towers and wind turbines are in high supply, making them hot targets, especially in this area.   

“It’s a big problem because of the repairs it requires,” Sampson said in reference to theft from wind turbines. “The worst part, though, is it is citizens who are the ones losing energy because of this.”

Aside from communication towers and wind turbines, copper can also be stolen from traffic lights and railway signals, farm equipment such as irrigation pipes and fixtures, gas lines in unoccupied buildings and construction sites, which utilize various forms of copper including electrical wiring and plumbing tubes.

In the electrical business, where copper is primarily used because of its efficiency as an electrical conductor and high current carrying capacity, theft is a constant concern.

Locally, O’Neal Electric electrician Tim King said they have been dealing with copper theft from United Farmers Mercantile. Up to 100 feet of copper is being stolen from cords that connect motors to conveyors.

They have had to install twist locks on the systems, which are secured every night to prevent theft. King said most recently this occurred at the Villisca Mercantile a few months ago, and it was a problem about a year ago in Red Oak when 15 conveyors were targeted.

“People are getting more bold,” King said. “They are stealing from everything they can get their hands on — street lights and even copper coils from air conditioning units.”

What’s being done to prevent it?

During March 2012, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed a bill to allow local governments to implement a copper theft ordinance; something Council Bluffs did in September 2007 because of frequent thefts, one of the biggest being $50,000 worth of copper from a Habitat for Humanity house in May 2007.

The law requires salvage dealers to keep detailed records of what is bought and from whom.

Aside from name and address, Council Bluffs also requires a license plate number and fingerprint of anyone trying to sell copper.

No Montgomery County governments have implemented any type of requirements. Sampson said salvage yards are only required to ask for identification and ownership titles for vehicles being sold.

Salvage yards in this area, according to Jim Frederiksen, owner of Frederiksen Iron Recycling of Atlantic, deal with copper purchases on a case-by-case basis.

Frederiksen said he’s never turned down the purchase of copper but he has, when suspicious, called local law enforcement to let them know he’s received copper in case anyone reported it missing.

“If they come in here nervous and stuttering or maybe even on drugs, they’ve probably been out stealing; it’s easy to pick them out,” Frederiksen said.

Even though the law does not require it, Frederiksen does, casually, ask where someone got the copper. However, no type of identification is required.

Most people come in with small amounts, scraps left over from a project, and Frederiksen said it’s usually easy to judge who is in the construction business.  

When someone comes in with large quantities of new copper, though, and doesn’t have a clear explanation, he’ll call to inform police because they likely have stolen it from a construction site.

Police have inspected copper he’s purchased but it hasn’t been connected with any cases, according to Frederiksen.

“I’m friends with some people in law enforcement so we’ll work together on this,” he said. “I’m small time, though. I don’t get a lot of copper because I don’t want a lot of it, and I certainly don’t want to be noted for it.”

Aside from legislation, other resources available to combat copper theft include surveillance cameras.

When asked if that was something utilized in this area, or specifically in the last two thefts, Sampson declined to comment.  

To prevent theft on job sites, King said most electrical copper is brought in the day it will be installed. If any were to be left over, it is secured in steel locked boxes or trailers on the job site.

He added most thefts occur when copper is left lying around unused because once it is installed into a structure, the structure is kept locked to prevent theft.

“You can’t leave anything out,” King said. “We always try to keep everything secure; leaving it out only asks for trouble.”

How is it done?

Unlike some crimes, which require immense strategy and skill, copper theft is fairly simple.

With communication towers, Sampson said it may require climbing, but for the most part, the copper is exposed. Just a simple snip and a thief made some fast cash.

The more clever copper thieves, according to Sampson, will burn the ends of the wires and break into multiple smaller pieces to provide the illusion of scrap metal. They also could sell at various salvage yards or even cross state lines to cover their tracks.

Frederiksen, who acquires most of his copper from construction sites, said skill plays no role in copper theft; it’s all nerve.

“All it is is walking into someone’s house and taking it,” Frederiksen said. “Anyone could do it, but you need a lot of nerve. Some people are broke and life’s thrown them a curve and they aren’t coping, they tend to have that nerve.”

He added on construction sites or housing projects it is especially difficult to secure copper.

With multiple people — contractors, electricians, plumbers — coming in and out of a building, it is hard to keep it locked.

All a thief would have to do is wait for everyone to leave, walk in and take it. Frederiksen mentioned a story he heard recently about a housing project in Des Moines. Copper water tubing had just been installed but the homes had no walls or electricity yet, and someone walked up, cut it out and never was caught.

“Could you just walk into someone’s house and take something that wasn’t yours?” Frederiksen asked. “I sure couldn’t.”  

While a seemingly simple process, stealing copper can also be dangerous if not done with caution.

“If you don’t know what you’re doing and climb up to a power line to take the copper, you could get electrocuted,” Sampson said.

During 2007, a copper theft was to blame for the death of an Iowa man, according to iowacoldcases.org.

Burglars cut copper propane gas lines from Earl Thelander’s home in Monona County, causing the house to fill with gas.

Thelander was severely burned in an explosion, which eventually led to his death Sept. 1, 2007.
The thief was never caught.

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you know any information about the recent copper thefts in Red Oak, contact the Montgomery County Sherriff’s Department at 623-5107.