Fort Worth sees 545% spike in AT&T cable metal thefts affecting vital communications
Fort Worth police briefed the Fort Worth City Council on Tuesday on the ongoing spike in metal thefts across the city.
Police say they've seen a 545% increase in AT&T cable thefts in the past two years and a 53% increase in overall thefts of copper and other metals.
City leaders say the crime puts everyone in jeopardy by affecting vital emergency communications.
Police say they've arrested more than 20 people for metal thefts in the past year, but it's not nearly enough.
FORT WORTH, Texas - There's been a huge increase in metal thefts across North Texas, and it seems Fort Worth is getting the worst of it.
Fort Worth police say they've seen more than a 500% increase in AT&T cable thefts in the last two years alone.
It's a crime affecting entire neighborhoods, businesses and even vital emergency communications.
What we know
Thieves — like the three suspects caught on surveillance in a Trackdown segment from November — are ripping off utility-grade metal, like the ones used as AT&T communications cables.
"When these thieves are hitting us here in Fort Worth, they're not getting one foot," said Fort Worth Police Sgt. Anthony White. "They're taking out 200 to 300 feet at a time. Sometimes more."
Fort Worth city leaders on Tuesday were briefed on the relentless rip-offs happening at a record pace.
Some ongoing efforts to fight the cable crime include:
more city cameras to catch the thieves in the act
an awareness campaign
better collaboration with AT&T and scrap metal yards
a push for legislation to stiffen penalties for those caught and convicted
By the numbers
Investigators point out that in a two-year span from 2022 to 2024, AT&T cable thefts in the city jumped 545% over the previous two-year period, and metal thefts overall were up 53%.
Fort Worth police say they've arrested more than 20 people for metal thefts in the past year, but it's not nearly enough.
What they're saying
Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens says her district has been hit hard.
"At one point in time, I had a neighborhood without internet service for more than two weeks," she said.
Police and city leaders call it a relentless crime; people who jeopardize their own safety to steal communication cables for copper and other metals.
Sgt. White described an ongoing case, which underscores volumes.
"I can't talk much or go in-depth about it because it's an active investigation, but there's a couple here in Fort Worth in the last two months that has profited, put in their pocket $40,000 stealing AT&T cable."
The Source
Information in this article comes from the Fort Worth Police Department and Tuesday's Fort Worth City Council meeting.
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