President Trump's 50% tariff on most imported copper products has fueled a surge in copper prices. While the import tax might not increase the production of the metal in the U.S. it has lead to another domestic spike -- copper thefts.

Hacienda Heights

Communities such as Hacienda Heights, California, have experienced repeated disruptions to essential services due to copper thefts, with residents losing landline phone service for extended periods. The surge in copper prices—up by as much as 35 percent over the past year—has made the metal a lucrative target, leading to a nationwide problem estimated to cost nearly $2 billion annually.

Authorities have responded with specialized task forces and stricter penalties, targeting both thieves and scrap metal buyers. High-profile incidents, such as the stripping of copper wiring from Los Angeles' 6th Street Bridge and a fatal shooting linked to darkened streets, highlight the broader impact on public safety and infrastructure. Some residents have switched to alternative phone services, though concerns remain about reliability during power outages.

Rising copper prices fuel wave of thefts

When a wildfire swept through Hacienda Heights in 1989, it burned through most of Diana Arnold's hilltop home and more than a dozen others. Cell phones didn't work, but landlines did. And so landlines become a lifeline. Until that lifeline was repeatedly cut off last year by copper thieves looking to sell telecom wire for scrap. Copper prices have surged as much as 35 percent over the last year. These were the phone lines that were cut? That big board? Right here, right here. How long did you not have your phone service? At least six months. Six months? It was off and on and they would fix it and usually it would go out the next day. The increasingly precious metal is a lucrative target for thieves and an easy one. Copper is used in everything from phone and transportation lines to street lights. Nationally, copper theft has become a nearly $2 billion a year problem. In Texas, thieves impersonated utility workers dragging the copper-laden cables as they drove off. Los Angeles started a heavy metal task force targeting copper thieves and those buying the stolen scrap metal with state prison time. L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hockman. We're going to go after the metal recyclers and either shut their businesses down or put them in prison, as well as the thieves themselves. The 6th Street Bridge was known as the ribbon of light. That is until thieves stripped the copper wiring out of it, leaving it in the dark. Prosecutors believe they made off with about $40,000, but it will cost the city millions to fix it. The problem has also turned deadly. When General Hospital actor Johnny Wachter was shot and killed last year trying to stop a group of car thieves, the street was dark. That entire scenario where they thought they could steal a catalytic converter literally under the cover of darkness was fueled by the copper thieves. Back in Hacienda Heights, Diana Arnold has given up on a landline. We have gone to an internet provider for our phone service. Do you worry about if the power goes out, though, that your phone line goes out? Of course, yeah. As the trouble on the line keeps coming back to the growing value of copper. Chris Van Cleave, CBS News, Hacienda Heights, California.

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