# Copper Theft and Electrocutions



## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

Why would somebody go through the trouble of cutting wires for the scrap value? You can simply walk into a big box store, load up the shopping cart and just walk out. A simple non monetary retail transaction. It was done last week at a local Lowes store. They just walked out with $3,200.00 worth of wire.


----------



## wiz1997 (Mar 30, 2021)

I recall back in the late 70's, early 80's, when scrap copper was going for close to $4.00 per pound.

Copper thieves were cutting the #6 bare copper wire at the bottom of a power pole, then snatching it loose from the pole.

Once they got it loose from the pole the only thing holding it was the connection at the top.

They would jerk on the wire until broke loose.

When the wire broke loose it would often whip and contact the power lines.

They were finding charred bodies near the poles and hospitals were getting people with electrical burns.

Copper thieves were gutting the Romex out of abandoned houses, unoccupied houses up for sale and even new unfinished houses.

During that time I was working on a 20 story high-rise.

We had four 500 foot reels of 750 MCM delivered to the job on Friday for the wire pull to be done on Tuesday.

No work on Monday because of the holiday.

Got to work Tuesday and the place had been wiped out.

Every craft was missing tools and equipment.

The reels of wire were gone.

How in the world did those reels get moved?

It took a cherry picker to get them off the flatbed truck.

A few hours later we were taking a break on the 7th floor, sitting on a stack of sheetrock.

No windows in the building yet, and back then not even a guard rail.

Co worker was standing buy a column on the outer edge, and called us over.

"What do you see down in that field?"

Looked like wagon tracks going across an open field towards an apartment complex.

Reported to the general forman, who took a drive through the apartment complex.

There were the four reels of wire and three guys sitting on the tailgate of their truck stripping the wire.

The police were called, three men arrested, and the wire confiscated as evidence.

Company had a metal shipping container delivered, and the second set of reels were locked up as soon as they were delivered.

During my apprenticeship the job Foreman on small jobs would let the apprentices divide up the scape wire.

I had over 300 pounds of scrap copper in the garage, but didn't cash it in, thought it might go higher.

Then forgot about it.

A few years later, I got layed off and decided to cash the copper in.

Got $1.85 per pound. 😭


----------



## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

If every copper thief were electrocuted, the problem would eventually disappear. Lead poisoning would be just as effective, especially if the lead were delivered at high speed..........


----------



## canbug (Dec 31, 2015)

We had an apprentice who got arrested for armed robbery. When the police searched his house they found the basement full of wire stripping, they didn't know what it was and contacted his employer. We had 10k of large wire go missing a few months earlier, they found video of him rolling it out the front door of the airport right into the back of his van, at Midnight. Nobody looked twice at him?

Tim.


----------



## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

kb1jb1 said:


> Why would somebody go through the trouble of cutting wires for the scrap value? You can simply walk into a big box store, load up the shopping cart and just walk out. A simple non monetary retail transaction. It was done last week at a local Lowes store. They just walked out with $3,200.00 worth of wire.


Gosh that’s like 5 rolls of 12/2 NM!


----------



## SWDweller (Dec 9, 2020)

I was given the job of purchasing and installing all of the copper busing for a 3MVA transformer.
The thief got some of it and sold it then returned and got into the 43Kv distribution wires.
The owner finally realized there was a problem when the pumps that were fed from this substation were not working any more. Took 4 days to realize the pumps were off. 
We shut down the line locked it out and then disconnected the wires, then and only then did we assemble the copper busing back on to the racks and structures. 

I found the story of the girl friend (druggie) sad. She waited 2 days to tell the cops. Wonder if the guy died immediately. 
We installed motion sensors inside the yard and a wireless alarm back to security. Still it was 20 miles on a rough gravel road. Lots of open ground in the deserts of the southwest. Or No G land as I call it.


----------



## Mobius87 (May 20, 2019)

My Dad has a story from when I was a kid, about a guy who was stealing copper from a sub-station local to where I grew up. He (my Dad) was a part of the volunteer fire crew, and they got called in to help clean up the mess the guy left. Apparently he distributed BBQ'd bits of his body all over the yard.


----------



## greenman (Apr 20, 2012)

I worked for hydro, some years ago and put copper cladded steel cable in. 
Not worth anything for scrap. Seem to reduce theft.


----------



## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

most of us older guys already know this
but for the benefit of younger guys, especially those who have never had arc flash training

when voltages like 600 or 480 short to ground or phase
the result is usually a large ball of fire and explosively expanding gas and small BBs of molten metal
very seldom is electrocution the reason for injury or death

BURNS are what kill or almost kill
BURNS take months or years to heal

this is the link to work place safety for any who care to read the many stories of mishandling electricity








Workplace Safety


No other topic is as important as this one. Safety first!




www.electriciantalk.com


----------



## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

Just hire a marine to protect the wire.

Stupid suggestion but good read.


----------



## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

LARMGUY said:


> Just hire a marine to protect the wire.
> 
> Stupid suggestion but good read.
> 
> View attachment 162827


Priceless. How long ago did this happen and do you know what paper?


----------



## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

them boys dont play


----------



## That_Dude (Feb 13, 2012)

Jobsite I'm on has a burglary every day it seems. Newest idea is to get thing landed and hot as soon as possible. Better idea would be to land everything to a 600V step up and wait for the fireworks. Some idiot decided to build "luxury" apartments less than a block away from the city's homeless shelters...


----------



## BrisketTacos (Dec 2, 2021)

I'm working on pricing a job now where they stole the 600 amp feeders from the main disco to the MDP, paralleled 350s. They stole the 225 amp wires to the ATS, the above ground portion of the feed from the generator, and cut a number of other conductors they couldn't manage to steal. 
It appears they considered getting the underground service from the pad mount to the main, since they took a grinder to the lock and hinges on the access door of the pad mount, but evidently they were smart enough to realize they shouldn't mess with that.
Seriously I don't wanna see anyone get electrocuted but damn, it's gonna be 25 k or so to fix what these dummies did for a few hundred dollars in scrap. (I have no idea what scrap prices are in my area but it can't amount to much compared to the damage they did). 
I guess a more cynical person might think "hey more work for me", I think "man my customer could pay me to make his new facility better with that cash instead of replacing what these people stole".


----------



## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

kb1jb1 said:


> Priceless. How long ago did this happen and do you know what paper?


Augusta, GA. 2010. The marine was stabbed and they did stop him and hold Tyrone Jackson for deputies, but the injuries were fabricated by a false paragraph inserted to get several points across. Don't steal and don't mess with marines. Jackson did get life because of his 30 prior felonies and the attempted murder of the marine.


----------



## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

I think I told this story before. I was with some electricians working on a job site of a metal building for a large warehouse. The electrician next to me had just grabbed hold of the cables coming out of the stub up from the pad outside when *ZIP!, *the cables disappeared back down the 4 inch conduit! 

He and I turned and looked at each other and both of us realized what had happened at the same time. We both rushed over to the door, looking for all the world like two of the Three Stooges, trying to fit through the steel doorway at the same time. We finally stumbled outside just in time to see 100 feet of the cable he had just grabbed trailing off behind a chain attached to a Jeep. The driver wasn't even looking back, bouncing around in the plowed field kicking up dust like an old west posse.


----------



## Flyingsod (Jul 11, 2013)

About a decade ago when scrap prices got stupid high got called to a customer site where a theft had occurred. Musta been a professional electrician in the group because the thieves were “smart”. They found the main service and turned it off before ripping the conductors out of the plant. 

THEN and only then did they go up to the roof and start cutting into the service entrance conduit.

It was a tar roof with that silver coating so it was all bright and shiny except near the place they were making the cut which was a 8’ cone of black. In the center of that cone was another shiny spot... Hope that guy was at least wearing safety glasses!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

