AT&T offering reward as copper wire thefts get worse in Missouri
By Eric Graves
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — According to AT&T, Missouri is a hotbed for copper wire thefts.
Data from the telecommunications giant shows Missouri is the third-worst state in the country for copper wire thefts.
“They’re climbing telephone poles or using an apparatus to get the wire down from the telephone pole and cut it,” said Derek Tolliver, the Lead Investigator of Global Security at AT&T. “And from there, they’ll burn it up and take it to your local recycling center.”
AT&T provided security video of copper wire thieves in action across Missouri. The videos show thieves cutting telephone wires, climbing telephone poles, or dragging copper wire away from job sites.
Tolliver said the thieves will even climb into manholes to steal copper wire below ground. The copper wire transmits your telephone and internet lines, leading to outages if it’s stolen.
“We’ve had instances where it’s affected dispatching for law enforcement or for fire services,” Tolliver said.
Tolliver said copper wire thefts in Kansas City have cost AT&T $500,000 so far in 2025.
AT&T is now offering a $20,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of anyone stealing copper wire.
The copper wire thefts don’t just impact AT&T; other utilities get damaged, too.
“They [other utilities] may not use copper material, but they [thieves] don’t know that,” Tolliver said. “And so they cut our line and cut other utility service providers, not knowing that it’s not copper material.”
“We encourage citizens that if they see anything suspicious, whether it’s someone suspicious around the telephone poles that’s not wearing AT&T attire or does not look official, to please report the information to local law enforcement,” Tolliver said.
Tolliver said they’re also working with local law enforcement on what to look for.
In a statement, KCPD said, “We have worked with AT&T and all our other telecommunications providers to better serve them and their customers. We are also in contact with other law enforcement agencies on the issue, but there is no task force. We have made arrests for theft/damage to telecommunications locations and property. We are working hard to hold perpetrators accountable.”
AT&T is also working with local recyclers to recognize what stolen copper wire looks like so they don’t buy stolen property.
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