Kinetic offers $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of copper cable thieves

On July 10, Kinetic announced that it is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the parties responsible for the theft of its copper cables in the areas around Clay County, Kentucky.

Kinetic reports that it has experienced 66 separate copper thefts so far this year in Clay County and estimates more than 350 residential and small business customers have lost service as a result.

Susan Schraibman, regional president of Kinetic’s Kentucky operations, reported that Kinetic is working with local authorities to prevent future copper thefts but is still urging people with information regarding past crimes to come forward.

“These crimes harm the community and small businesses,” said Schraibman in a press release. “Copper cable thefts increase costs and result in outages that prevent our customers from making phone calls, including to 911. The thefts also impact first responders, like police, fire, and emergency services, as well as businesses and hospitals. In some cases, thieves damage fiber optic cable while stealing copper, which can cause widespread outages as well.”

Kinetic doesn’t face this issue alone, and many telecom providers have reported recurring issues related to copper theft. Bell recently reported the successful use of aerial alarms to thwart copper thefts.

Beyond the damage to critical infrastructure, copper theft can also be dangerous for the perpetrators, who sometimes risk electrocution to harvest copper cables.

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