Off Topic: Copper thieves hit Cell Towers

[kch50428]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Copper thieves in central Iowa are now targeting cell phone towers.

KCCI-TV in Des Moines says police report several towers were hit early Wednesday in Des Moines.

Police say the two towers service Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and US Cellular. Police say the phone companies were alerted to a power failure by alarms. Officials found the power meters were stolen, the ground wires were cut and all the copper was gone. Another AT&T tower in Des Moines was also targeted.

Police say other cell phone towers were stripped by copper thieves using the same methods about two weeks ago. At one of the towers, over 150 feet of thick copper wire was stolen.

Scrap dealers say copper is now selling between $3 and $4 a pound.
No arrests have been made.

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Signal issues in your area? Maybe some low-life looted a cell site for copper... sheesh.

 

[BLiNK]

those sons of *****es. unbelievable.. where i work, for the last couple of years, there has been a rash of these crackheads breaking into vacant homes and stealing copper piping--right out of the walls!!

preventing this from happening might be difficult but i would i have to think some of the blame goes on the scrap dealers themselves. picture this; an individual drives up to the scrap dealers lot in a beat up truck full of copper piping--they know damn well what is going on!!

 

[Alli]

Every summer they target schools here. Last summer my school was hit, and we have a police precinct on our property!!!