Easy Money

Last week I recounted a story about a thief trying to steal a generator at Highland Groves. By the way, that generator is now gone, and I am pretty sure that the electricity has been hooked up to the relocated boxes; one hesitates to say something for certain in this business without checking first, but it was in the process of happening on Thursday, so I assume it was completed.

But yesterday's East Valley Tribune has an article about the copper theft; it's a long article, but it instructs us on the problem:

Copper theft surged when industrial growth in China sent metal prices soaring, reaching $3.56 per pound on Monday. The surge in market value has criminals striking everything that contains the now precious metal that’s found in homes, water meters, streetlights, power boxes and air conditioners.

Crooks sell the heisted metal to scrap yards, where it fetches prices ranging from $1.10 to $2.70 a pound, depending on the quality of the copper and location of the recycler. Eventually, the scrap is resold to brokerage companies and smelters.

As I mentioned earlier, the builders are not at all surprised when copper is stolen and they have to start over on that part of a house. It is widespread in every city that has construction, including our fair town:

Miscreants in Gilbert are stealing spools of wire from commercial areas and construction sites, using ladders to scale fences and blowtorches to break into storage units, detective Sgt. David Meyer said of his town.

Gilbert has had a rash of copper thefts that have stripped homes and commercial and industrial sites. Since January, there have been more than 230 copper thefts, Meyer said.

That's a good word - miscreant - which means villain. It never ceases to amaze me how villainous we humans can be toward one another, without regard for the consequences to our fellow man. The article mentions that the profile of some copper thieves is a meth addict; but I know that others are some of the blue collar workers thinking that the builders (in many cases their employer!) can afford the loss, and besides, they don't get paid enough anyway. Ironically, (since we are talking metals here, no pun intended) the thefts prod the purchase price of the houses up, boosting them out of the reach of these very thieves.

At any rate, the problem persists, and the builders and law enforcement agencies (and even the scrap metal companies, according to this article) collaborate to stem the tide; if residents see any suspicious activity, it would be helpful if that got reported, as well.