STOCKTON, Calif. — With increased copper wire thefts forcing 911 call centers to go offline and knocking out cell service around San Joaquin County, lawmakers are now calling on the FBI's help to deal with the surge.
On May 3, Josh Harder, who represents California's 9th District in the U.S. House, wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray pleading for more information and resources.
"I am gravely concerned that we are experiencing a significant increase in copper theft in our communities," the letter said. "The opportunity for a quick profit, coupled with an abundance of vulnerable sources, is resulting in the perfect opportunity for individuals and organized criminal groups to attack our neighborhoods."
The letter came days after officials in San Joaquin County announced a 139% increase in copper wire thefts over the course of the past four months.
According to law enforcement officials, thieves target fiber cables, knocking down telephone poles before stripping cables and selling the copper inside them.
The issue led to cell service outages, WiFi outages and in at least one case, the county's 911 center being forced to go offline for eight hours.
"Think about having a heart attack, calling 911 in a moment of need, and the phone line is dead because these thieves cut the phone lines - that's unacceptable," said Harder. "So my letter is all about trying to make sure that we can bring in other federal resources, involve the FBI and crack down on this once and for all."
With the county he represents in Congress now leading the nation in copper wire theft, Harder asked the FBI to provide information, resources, technical assistance and guidance on how to curb the crimes.
"We want to make sure that the FBI treats this seriously. I'd like there to be a federal task force that is focused on copper theft," said Harder. "Second, I'd like to make sure that we're working with recycling centers to be able to track where this copper is being sold and to try to cut off the profits of these thieves at the source. And then finally, we need to increase the penalties."
Harder said he would like to see thieves held liable for 911 calls that don't go through due to copper theft from fiber cables.
On the local level, San Joaquin County Supervisor Steve Ding says he is considering new ordinances to target copper wire thieves and the cars they use.
Law enforcement officials such as San Joaquin County Sheriff Pat Withrow and San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Frietas said they are adding new cameras around the county and cracking down on recycling centers that might be buying stolen copper.
The two also called for harsher laws at the state level.
AT&T is offering a $5,000 reward for specific information related to copper thefts from fiber cables when reported to 800-807-4205.
The issue has also been felt in Amador County where three men were arrested Sunday on suspicion of copper wire theft. The arrest came after the AT&T network went down in the county, impacting 911 services.
"It's already spreading across California. We've seen folks caught in Amador County that were traced back to Stockton," said Harder. "It's going to continue to spread unless we crack down."
According to Harder, copper can be resold for $2-$4 per pound, exponentially lower than the cost to repair or replace damaged phone lines.
He believes that some thieves are connected to organized crime groups and drug trade, adding that the issue has the potential to spread beyond San Joaquin County.
“This isn't like somebody stealing a car for a joyride. This hurts all the other folks who want to be able to make those phone calls to emergency services,” said Harder said. “This hurts public safety and hurts our health care and so that's why I think the federal response is so important to get to the bottom of it and try to nip it in the bud while it's still centered around Stockton and San Joaquin County."
Watch more from ABC10: San Joaquin County copper theft sabotages 911 emergency call system
