Copper is an easy and lucrative target for thieves. So it should come as no surprise thieves managed to find their way into a substation near downtown Phoenix and cart off the copper wire. When the substation misfunctioned, the thieves unkowingly left thousands of people in the dark.
Thefts involving copper and aluminum have increased dramatically with the rising costs of metals. And copper is especially lucrative. The Northwest Mining Association claims that the best quality recycled copper is worth as much as 95% of the price of newly manuctured copper.
Locally, copper prices are a couple of dollars a pound or more, and there has been a rash of thefts in Arizona. Homebuilders have found their projects suffering expensive delays due to thefts, and the problem has even affected the Univeristy of Arizona in Phoenix.
The problem has gotten so large that the Maricopa Sheriff’s Office now has a hotline just to deal with construction theft. They may be reached at (602) 876-1000.
Infornmation about the copper industry in Arizona is available at http://www.azcu.org/.
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