Although it is now considered a common crime in Los Angeles County, a region of the population says rampant copper theft is affecting them in more ways than one, leaving them with no way to contact emergency services.
People living in Hacienda Heights say thieves have repeatedly struck power lines in the area, stealing miles of copper wire, taking away their access to WiFi and their landlines, which are one of the few ways they can call 911 in the event of a malfunction. emergency due to lack of cell service.
“It’s been since April, mid-April, that we haven’t had service, about seven months actually,” said Mike Wiener, one of many distraught homeowners in Hacienda Heights. “If there is a fire, a flood, a hurricane or an earthquake, we have no communication.”
He says that because he can’t use his landline, he can’t talk to his children.
Frontier Communications provides service to the area and says thieves are stealing copper wires from telephone lines so quickly that they are running low on product and want to order more from out of state.
“We put it up, we turn our backs on it, and the next day it’s gone,” Douglas McAllister, a company spokesman, said at a community meeting Monday.
When the utility poles are knocked down because of copper, WiFi service in the area is often cut off, further isolating residents.
“We are victims of domestic terrorism in the modern era,” said Andrea Gordon, another homeowner. “That we live without effective communication, we need better laws. We need tougher penalties. We need more efficiency everywhere – and we need our phones.”
Frontier says they are considering switching customers in the area from copper to fiber, but it won’t be a quick process.
In the meantime, residents will be bracing for more time without phones, hoping the city of Los Angeles’ ‘Heavy Metal Taskforce’ can lead to an end.
