Copper theft is a nationwide problem

Our publication recently reported that copper wire had been stolen from Dakota Valley Electric located on N.D. Highway 13 west of Wahpeton. Thieves broke into the warehouse and made off with several spools of copper wire weighing about 6,000 pounds.

Copper is expensive these days and brings a high price on the black market.

According to the U. S. Department of Energy, the price of copper has risen over the past several years due to worldwide economic growth. The supply is unable to keep up with demand so as the price increases, it makes it easy for thieves to cash in.

In this case the thieves were very lucky to break in and just load up the spools as opposed to cutting the copper wire out of a transformer or substation (most copper is stolen this way worldwide). It can be very dangerous for those who are dumb enough to put their lives on the line.

Sure, the reward is good money, but certainly it is not worth dying over. It’s a national problem as people have died in the North, South, East and West trying to steal it. On the Internet there are many media reports of thieves dying while trying to steal copper wire and the pictures are horrible and grizzly. You really have to wonder what kind of person would attempt to steal copper wire that has electricity flowing through it.

The U.S. Department of Energy suggests that there is a strong correlation between crystal methamphetamine (meth) abuse and metal thefts, and many police departments have confirmed this fact. This makes sense since one would wonder what somebody was thinking right before they cut into a live power line and died seconds later. Obviously all they were thinking about was how to get money for drugs. This does not mean that the copper wire taken from Dakota Valley Electric was done by drug addicts.

Usually the big thefts are done by professionals because it’s a lot harder to break into a storage building or yard and steal spools than it is to steal from an unguarded substation. It’s sad to think that people can be so desperate for money that they would risk their lives for a few hundred dollars.

Hopefully the authorities can catch the thieves who stole the copper wire from Dakota Valley Electric.

Tags: opinion, editorials, crime