San Antonio Takes Action on Copper Theft

On the same day that copper thieves silenced a San Antonio radio station, the City Council on Thursday adopted an ordinance sought by the Police Department that will make it easier to track thefts of the metal from businesses and construction sites.

The measure, which becomes effective in 10 days, requires local salvage yards and metal recyclers to maintain records of their copper purchases.

With the price of copper escalating, thefts have become a national crime trend and a major problem locally, according to the police. Thieves have been hitting businesses and construction sites around the city, stripping air conditioning units and other machinery of copper tubing and making off with large amounts of the metal, said acting Assistant Chief David Head.

Hours before police appeared at City Hall to testify about the need for an ordinance, copper thieves were apparently hard at work.

Overnight, someone struck radio station KAHL's transmission facility on the Southeast Side, a nearby cell telephone relay tower and a water storage facility. Because the thefts occurred in the same vicinity, investigators believe they were related.

"These idiots caused $25,000 worth of damage to get $300 or $400 worth of copper," said KAHL general manager John Barger, whose station was knocked off the air for most of Thursday as a result of the theft.

"It's amazing there aren't bodies lying around. They cut into a CPS power feed to get at the wiring," he said.

Police spokesman Sgt. Gabe Trevino said stealing copper is a dangerous crime, noting that "people have been killed" while attempting to strip the metal from machinery running electric currents.

"It's an extreme problem because it's interfering with power and communication equipment," said Bexar County Sheriff's Capt. Jim Rickhoff. "And the value of that equipment far exceeds the value of the copper that's being removed."

Trevino said that over the past four months, police have made 35 arrests in major copper thefts through surveillance operations that he declined to detail.

City Attorney Michael Bernard said the new ordinance requires metal recyclers and salvage yard operators to begin registering the names of people they purchase copper from, provide an identification number of the purchase and keep the information on file for one year.

It also requires operators to provide the data to police upon request, Head said, adding that a violation will be a Class C misdemeanor subject to a $500 fine.

While state law requires operators to maintain a registry for purchases of 50 pounds or more of copper; he said the city ordinance will make the registry mandatory for any amount purchased.

Head said the ordinance resulted from a suggestion last summer by District 3 Councilman Roland Gutierrez, whose district includes several salvage yards.

"There is nothing to indicate that recyclers or salvage yards who purchase copper are involved in the thefts," Gutierrez said. "But copper thefts have gotten out of hand at construction sites, commercial operations and homes where copper tubing is used."

Author : Guillermo X. Garcia, San Antonio Express-News