Sheriff Vásquez: Copper theft on the rise, requires stricter legislation

The price for salvage copper is on the rise and so is the number of copper thefts, not only in Pinal County, but all across the United States.

Recent theft of copper in Pinal County is having a profound effect on our agricultural community, public utility companies, private companies and municipalities. In one copper theft case the thieves caused the City of Coolidge to suffer a blackout in over half the city. During the high school football season this year a game in Maricopa County had to be postponed as thieves stole the copper from the stadium lights. In another case in Maricopa County a farmer lost his entire crop not only for the year, but also the following year, from damage done to his irrigation pumps.

A copper thief may only get a few hundred dollars from a farmer’s pump; however, the dollars associated with the amount of damage and losses stemming from their inability to water crops are in the thousands each time a theft occurs. Annually, it is estimated copper thieves cause more than $10 million in losses in Pinal County alone and more than $50 million across Arizona.

What the thieves do not understand, or care about, is the hazardous situation they are causing for themselves and for citizens. Over the past year there have been several deaths from electrocution during their attempts to steal the copper wire. Also, they are exposing themselves to dangerous cancer-causing chemicals that over time could have deadly consequences. However, most of the copper thieves are meth users who obviously have no regard for their own body anyway.

The increased thefts have prompted Pinal County farmers to establish an anti-copper wire theft committee. Area farmer Jimmy Bechtel heads the committee. During the legislative year in 2006, Coolidge Police Chief James Palmer and I worked closely with Bechtel to get lawmakers to make the stolen scrap harder to sell by imposing stricter penalties for those involved. The legislation is aimed at reducing the ease of converting stolen copper to cash by requiring tighter identification requirements for those selling copper. The law requires scrap metal dealers to keep a record of the purchases, a photocopy of the seller’s driver license and fingerprints and validation of recorded information, using a driver license or photo identification card. The law also requires a later payment by check for scrap metal.

This legislation is good, but it is not enough. It is only a start. In the upcoming legislative session lawmakers must strengthen the law even more. The penalties for scrap metal dealers who do not comply with the law must be raised to a felony with stiffer fines. The law must include a surcharge, paid by the seller, which is to be used to establish multi-agency Copper Theft Task Forces in those counties hit the hardest by thieves. The task force can consist of peace officers from various agencies and a special prosecutor to oversee cases. The task force will be responsible for the apprehension of thieves and conduct audits of scrap metal dealers to ensure compliance with the law.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of Eloy, Coolidge and Florence have stepped up efforts to apprehend copper thieves by making several arrests. However, we are faced with many challenges. For example, once arrested, those same criminals are back in the community, as they are able to make bail only to pick up where they left off.

The theft of copper wire affects us all. Please contact your legislators and encourage them to support any new legislation that strengthens laws that govern the sale of scrap metal to give law enforcement the tools we need to combat this problem.

Thank you and until next month, God Bless.