By John Dobberstein, Editor
TULSA — Kinetic and police in Tulsa, Broken Arrow and in Wagoner County are investigating a sharp rise in copper thefts and asking for the public’s help.
Over the last few months, thieves have cut and stolen copper cable lines more than two dozen times, and in the past week some cable was stolen nearly every day, Kinetic said. Thousands of feet of cable have been stolen overall.
“This results in dangerous outages for our customers and threatens essential services, including emergency responders like fire, police and 911, and health care facilities,” Kinetic said in a statement. “These copper theft incidents contribute to public safety concerns and are not a victimless crime.”
Kinetic is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction of individuals associated with these crimes.
Kinetic said immediate response efforts are underway to restore connectivity to affected customers, and the company is collaborating with local law enforcement to combat the thefts, including enhanced security measures such as night vision cameras and GPS trackers.
Copper theft also underscores the importance of replacing outdated copper lines with fiber-optic cables, the company said. Thieves still sometimes cut the fiber lines because they can’t always spot the difference, but fiber can’t be resold for value.
Citizens are encouraged to report copper theft immediately to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol or to Kinetic toll free at 1-855-268-2211, Option 1, or local police.
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