Copper thefts have surged in rural Sonoma County, causing significant disruptions to power and internet services — residents have reportedly been without these essential services for two weeks.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office revealed that thefts of copper wire, primarily from AT&T poles, began to be recorded across locations like Sebastopol, Graton, Forestville, and Petaluma in February. This has led to major service outages in surrounding areas.
Residents have voiced their frustrations over the extended power losses; some have mentioned that AT&T attribute these issues to “vandalism.”
In the meantime, detectives assigned to property crimes are following leads, but authorities state that no suspects have been pinpointed yet.
An AT&T representative shared that the company has already incurred $32 million in losses due to copper theft this year alone.
On a national scale, the telecommunications provider reports an average of 200 incidents involving copper theft each week.
“The financial impact is significant, but the real concern lies in the disruption to connectivity for our customers,” the spokesperson added.
Residents have been urged to remain vigilant for suspicious vehicles parked near roads or driveways during odd hours and to report any unusual activity to the sheriff’s office.
In a related issue, Los Angeles is also grappling with copper theft challenges. Recently, a theft in Van Nuys that involved internet cables caused a blackout in the area.
Surveillance footage captured the thieves, one of whom was shirtless and masked, while the other wore a hoodie, as they extracted copper wire from an underground hatch.
This issue persists in Los Angeles, with rising metal prices incentivizing more thefts. Stolen copper often ends up on the scrap market as thieves aim to turn a profit.
Last week, residents of Los Angeles received ballots seeking approval for a plan that would require substantial annual real estate fees to replace 200,000 street lights across the city.
This initiative seeks to address the damage caused by both vandals and copper thieves, effectively increasing the city’s budget from $45 million to $125 million. Currently, wire theft is costing Los Angeles over $20 million each year.
