Fort Worth Sees Big Surge in Copper Theft from AT&T's Network

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2025 – Fort Worth’s Police Department’s Metal Theft Unit revealed an alarming trend in a theft report published last week: Copper wire theft committed against AT&T alone in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area has risen 545 percent in the last two years when compared to 2020-2022.

According to AT&T, DFW was ranked second in the U.S. for copper crime prevalence during the same time period. 

“Not only does this impact home Internet, it impacts people with medical devices, critical medical devices at home, hospitals, post offices, and basically all facets of life to include your local coffee shop,” Sgt. Anthony White of the Metal Theft Unit told NBC 5.

Criminals cut short wires from utility poles and used pick-up trucks to drag large segments away before selling them to second-hand metal shops.

“At one point, I had one neighborhood without internet service for more than two weeks, and that was totally unacceptable,” Mayor Pro Tempore and District 5 City Council member Gyna M. Bivens told NBC 5.

In October last year, AT&T began offering $10,000 rewards to anyone who provides information about instances of copper theft that lead to an arrest or conviction in the South Dallas area.

As city leaders and industry players point out, though, the rise in metal theft is not limited to the DFW area. It is a national trend, causing $1.5 billion to $2 billion in losses annually.

“It's affecting not just the city of Fort Worth and not just the city of Dallas. It's happening nationwide. People are stealing copper. And when you depend on your internet to have your virtual doctor's visit… It impacts your life,” Bivens explained.

Mike Peterson, AT&T Vice President of External Affairs, attributed some of the increase in crime to copper’s rising value. The per-pound price of copper – which hit an all-time high last May – was up 21.5% over the past year, according to Yahoo Finance.

Local leaders and state legislators hope that new legislation will target repeat offenders and penalize recycling centers that accept stolen copper or other metals.