Copper Thieves Target Mount Washington Home

A Mount Washington resident is warning neighbors to be aware of thieves in the neighborhood who may try to cash in by stealing copper and other metals from their property.

The following letter was sent to Patch on Monday, May 14:

I wanted to let you know about one that I experienced today – it wouldn’t hurt to warn others.

We received a note on our porch today from our mail carrier, telling us we needed to get a mailbox and put it up. We’ve lived here for 12 years and have had a very nice mailbox next to our driveway the entire time.  My daughter was home and went down to the mailbox, which was no longer there.

When I tell you it was copper, I probably don’t need to say more.  It was screwed into mortar and stone, but that was obviously not enough.  Someone could be going around stealing mailboxes, but it’s most likely that they took it for the copper.

In 2008, a spike in the price of copper led to a rash of copper wire thefts from city light poles.

Capt. Blake Chow, commanding officer of the Hollenbeck Division, referred to the increase of thefts as an "alarming epidemic."

According to the London Metal Exchange, which is chief in determining the price of copper, the metal's value spiked in 2009, only to exceed 2008's high in early 2011. Prices have declined slightly since then, but still sit at level's commensurate with 2008's peak, around $3.60 per pound.

Metal theft often spikes during economic downturns--a time when both the price of metals and economic desperation both increase.

The scrap metal industry has attempted to curb the increase in scrap metal theft through websites like ScrapTheftAlert.com. Through the website, those who have had a significant amount of metal stolen can post their information, alerting dealers not to purchase the metal.

The website Salvage America recommends that homeowners "secure the foundation openings in the crawl space of your house with a good hasp and padlock" to prevent copper theft.

Business owners are also advised to mark their copper with an engraving tool, which will make it an less attractive target for thieves who are looking to sell to a scrap dealer.