ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Thieves targeting businesses to steal their copper wiring are on the rise according to new data collected by PNM, which is urging businesses and homeowners to be vigilant.
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“April, we were working normal day and in the afternoon, I want to say it was around 1:00 p.m., we heard an explosion and two seconds later all the lights shut off,” said Stephanie Henderson, chief business officer for Family Medicine, PC, and the owner of the Eubank Medial Plaza. She says she couldn’t believe it when she realized: they were in the dark because of a thief.
“Somebody had taken a truck, backed it up to the transformer, ripped open the doors, and ripped out main copper wire that feeds the entire building for electricity. It was a mess,” Henderson said.
The power outage shuttered medical practices in the plaza for days and affected hundreds of patients. “The grand total was $75,000 dollars worth of damage,” Henderson said, and that’s not including the loss of revenue. Hers is just one of nearly 100 businesses that PNM says were targeted this year for their copper.
“These numbers are from our service area: So this year, we’ve had a total of 92 reports of businesses, business customers being hit by copper thieves; that compares to 84, a total of 84 businesses hit last year,” said Kai Porter, spokesperson for PNM.
The copper is found in places like transformers and HVAC units. It’s a valuable metal and is expensive to repair. Theft of it also creates precarious situations: “Copper theft can be very dangerous both to life and property because it can leave those wires exposed which can create sparking or arcing, so that’s why its really important to know those signs, to call us right away at 888-DIAL-PNM so we can cut the power and make the situation safe,” Porter said.
September is PNM’s Copper Theft Awareness Month; they’re trying to spread the word and are urging customers to take precautions like installing barriers around their transformers and meters and beef up security by installing things like motion sensors, security lights, and cameras.
Henderson said they did just that after they were targeted: “We have tighter security cameras and we have a special lock that PNM has approved on the transformer. Our power yard has always been locked but there’s a security camera out there so that was another cost we had to incur was to beef up our security around here.”
She said it’s great that PNM is keeping track of these numbers, but wondered: “What are you going to do about it? What’s going to happen? Are we going to work with the city and the police to have stiffer penalties for people who are doing this?”
KRQE News 13 reached out to the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) to find out if they are seeing the same trend, and what the penalties are; we are waiting to hear back.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for any tip that leads to the arrest of a copper thief.