HOUSTON — The Houston Police Department highlighted a recent trend in local crime on Wednesday -- the “concerning uptick” in copper wire theft.
“It’s a property crime, but it’s not a victimless crime," said Harris County Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief Tommy Diaz. "Real people are affected."
HPD Sgt. Bob Carson clarified the concern was with the copper wire found in hanging telecommunications cables that help transmit internet and phone service.
“We have suspects pull the wire right down from the poles," he said. "We’ve had an incident where people used a bucket truck. We’ve had an incident where they just tied a strap to the wire and pulled it with their own vehicle."
In the past year, HPD investigated 38 copper wire thefts, according to Carson. However, he explained there were many more cases that internet service providers may have addressed internally but not reported to police.
In one instance, Carson said a single cut wire affected various businesses, hospitals, school districts, and the city’s 911 system.
In yet another instance in January, Rui Dos Santos, with internet service provider Brightspeed, said that same kind of copper wire theft knocked out internet service to hundreds of customers in Houston.
“Meaning that they won’t have any phone, they don’t have internet," he said. "There’s no alarms if they’re on that circuit. They won’t be working."
Dos Santos told KHOU 11 that Brightspeed saw about 120 copper wire thefts in 2023. In 2024, there have been at least 22 thefts. He said the company is now focused on expanding its fiber network, which does not use copper, to curb reliance on copper wiring.
“We’re happy that we have the police department behind us,” he said. “But people need to be on the lookout for this. We don’t work past normal business hours unless it’s a special project. If you see someone pulling cable down with a string, which we don’t do, report that to the police."
HPD and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office plan to crack down on copper wire theft with the help of internet service providers like AT&T, Comcast, and T-Mobile.
Those efforts include what Sgt. Carson called the “quick” arrest of two copper wire theft suspects, as well as an operation where local law enforcement agencies were able to shut down an illegal scrap yard.
Crime Stoppers of Houston announced they would offer up to $15,000 in reward money to anyone with information that leads to the arrest of a suspect in a copper wire theft crime. You can call Crime Stoppers of Houston at (713) 222-8477.
“You are our eyes and ears of these. Step up to the plate. Do the right thing. Help us get these people off the street so we can about our daily lives without disruption,” said Andy Kahan, director of victim services for Crime Stoppers.