Thieves stole my neighbors Electrical Lines

[Soundguy]

Yea, but is that going to be the night they show up? I think I would rather be setting at home watching TV untill my remote alarm system beeps(or BOOMS) that I have company at my remote site, then go investigate, or call the police/sheriff if it is too remote to investigate myself. Texas as I recall is pretty easy going about how nighttime prowlers are dealt with. I think most other states are not(but they should be)... I am personally of the opinion that someone sneaking around private property after dark deserves whatever they get...

As long as crime pays, people will be taking the job...

Of course if it is remote property you don't live on.. your option is a good one... In my case.. i sleep close enough to my tractors that I can 'reach out and touch' sombody fairly quick. Betweent he dogs and other animals inthe pasture... not much comes across without something crowing, gobbling, or barking...

soundguy

 

[sseelhoff]

Sounds like the makings of a new t-shirt, bumper sticker or sign for the property:

'If you come for my copper, you'll be leaving with lead."

 

[JerryG]

Copper theft is hurting people in all areas. Last fall a poultry farmer that lives a little ways from me was getting his four 500' poultry houses ready for chicks. After working in two of the houses, he went into the third and the lights wouldn't turn on. He found that all the wiring was stripped out. It was the same way in the fourth house. The people that they have caught in this area have been people that won't keep a job and are living off of the system. It has got to be hard work stripping wiring, looks like they would just get a job. It may be a different class of people that are doing it in some areas from reading some of the posts.

 

[Bird]

Jerry, I've seen many, many cases in which thieves worked harder for less profit than they would have made at minimum wage as a day laborer. Sure, some thieves steal because they need the money, but there are some other reasons of course. Who doesn't like to gamble a little bit? Such things as buying lottery tickets, going to Vegas, etc. Well, it's frequently a game, a gamble, with thieves hoping for the big score. In other cases, they may have no expectation of making much, if any, money but are just adrenaline junkies; the thrill of the danger involved in the possibility of getting caught. Some folks ride roller coasters, ski down moutains, and any number of things simply for the thrill. Some thieves do it simply for the thrill.

And of course, for most of the rest of us . . ., we really don't care why they do it, we just want them caught and stopped.

 

[EddieWalker]

My neighbor and I were talking about why they do it last night. We sort of came to the conclusion that they do it just because their brains are so messed up on crack that it makes sense to them.

In order to sell the wire, they have to cut it up into small pieces so it's not obvios that the stole the full length. It has to look like leftovers or scrap. From what we can tell, there was three of them. They probably got about $100 or so each for their efforts.

A job at Walmart would give them more money for less work.

Eddie

 

[sseelhoff]

It has got to be hard work stripping wiring, looks like they would just get a job. It may be a different class of people that are doing it in some areas from reading some of the posts.

But the hours are flexible and you are your own boss, so it has that going for it....

 

[chh]

From what I understand most of those crackheads don't sleep for days at a time anyway, so they have plenty of time to chop up wire or strip it.

 

[KYErik]

The plastic/vinyl sheathing doesn't have to be stripped by hand.

Most people around here just burn it off- they build a small brush/trash fire and throw the sheathed wire in then come back when its all cooled off. The recyclers don't mind the black residue from burning it.

 

[SpringHollow]

Because of theft around here, you now have to have a special license to drop off scrap.

Ken

 

[jinman]

Because of theft around here, you now have to have a special license to drop off scrap.

Ken, I think thats a great way to prevent some of the theft. I also think cameras taking pictures of people who sell scrap may also become necessary. If you and your vehicle's license plate gets photographed at the scale, you may see a reduction. You have to raise the paranoia about being caught very high to stop a crack head who needs a fix.

As an aside...
Back in the late '70s I worked as a Disposal Officer for a few months in the US Navy. We sold several aircraft carriers for scrap. One of the first ones sold went to a company in Virginia for less than $200k, and they made that money back just by selling the fuel on board. Can you imagine the money they made just off the brass label plaques around every hatch, door, and other fitting on the ship? Workers in this scrap yard collected what was called "scrounges" into individual piles belonging to each of them. It was wire, brass, and other valuable metals that didn't come out easy on the ship. They would burn off isulation about once per month. Some of the guy's scrounge piles made them more money than their salaries.

The next carrier we sold ( I think it was the Essex) went for 1.2 million dollars. Word got around fast. Even at that, they made a bunch. The last carrier, the Randolph, went for 2.7 million as I remember.