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The Rise of Copper Theft and Its Threat to US Critical Infrastructure

THE RISE OF COPPER THEFT & ITS THREAT TO U.S. CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Since August 2009, metal thefts have steadily increased 6 Copper thieves are threatening across the nation, driven by rising prices for base metals... especially copper. U.S. critical infrastructure...and present a risk to both public safety Whether the theft is an expensive personal irritant, like finding your catalytic converter has been stolen, or one that threatens public safety, as when the and national security. 55 - Federal Bureau of Investigation theft of copper wiring blacked out runway approach lights at the Modesto, CA, regional airport-metal thefts are increasing in frequency and severity. WHERE IS COPPER BEING STOLEN FROM? Over 25,000 claims for the theft of copper, bronze, brass, or aluminum were submitted to 55% of the claims ISO ClaimSearch from 2009 to 2011. Of these, 96% concerned copper theft. 55% were on commercial 45% policies, while 45% were on personal policies. COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL ОН ТХ GA СА IL NC PA NY FL MI HOW IS COPPER BEING STOLEN? As metal prices rise, so do the number of metal thefts. Thieves are willing to go to almost any length to steal metal, stripping sheets of metal from building rooftops, stealing memorial decorations from cemeteries, ripping apart air conditioners for their copper coils, and stripping homes and buildings of wiring and piping. VITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FARM EQUIPMENT UNOCCUPIED BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTION SITES Traffic lights and railway signals Equipment such as irrigation Buildings have exploded due to These sites are prime targets as gas lines being stolen. These vacant locations have minimal have been rendered useless and pipes and fixtures are also metal is often left on site thieves have even posed as utility unguarded and relatively unsecured. Access can easily be targeted, causing the loss of security measures (no alarms, no video surveillance or poor workers in order to remove large livestock and the destruction of sections of utility cable from crops that need irrigation. gained through a gate, lock, or sewers beneath city streets. lighting) and are usually empty of human presence. damaged fence. WHAT IS BEING STOLEN? 5,648 4,034 4,716 METAL CLAIMS* COPPER 24,103 ALUMINUM 817 BRASS 172 711, 621 361 306 130 BRONZE PIPE A/C WIRE TUBE LINE ROOF COIL HOW IS THEFT AFFECTING THE PRICE OF COPPER? Comparing copper prices and metal theft claims from 2009-2011 shows a strong correlation between the two. COMEX Metal Theft Copper Price Claims $5.00 1,400 $4.00 1,200 $3.00 1,000 $2.00 800 $1.50 600 $1.00 400 $0.50 200 $0.00 2009 2010 2011 SC SUPER CIRCUITS Source Metal Theft Claims from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2011 www.supercircuits.com The National Insurance Crime Bureau © 2012 Supercircuits March 3, 2012 Number of Claims 2009-2011 1,102

The Rise of Copper Theft and Its Threat to US Critical Infrastructure

shared by supercircuits on Apr 10
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Since August 2009, metal thefts have steadily increased across the nation, driven by rising prices for base metals, especially copper. Whether the theft is an expensive personal irritant, like finding...

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Supercircuits

Category

Economy
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