Rampant copper theft leaves Hacienda Heights residents without phone service for months
While it's now considered a common crime across Los Angeles County, one region of people is saying that rampant copper theft is affecting them in more ways than one, leaving them without a way to contact emergency services.
People living in Hacienda Heights say that thieves have been repeatedly hitting power lines across the area, stealing miles of copper wire and thus taking away their access to WiFi and their landlines, which is one of the few ways they can call 911 in case of an emergency due to the lack of cell service.
"It's been since April, the middle of April, we haven't had any service, about seven months actually," said Mike Wiener, one of many distraught Hacienda Heights homeowners. "If there's a fire, a flood, a hurricane, an earthquake, we have no communication."
He says that on top not being able to use his landline, he's unable to talk with his children.
Frontier Communications provides service to the area, and says that theives are stealing the copper wires from phone lines at such a rapid rate they're almost out of the product and are looking to order more from out of state.
"We get it put up, we turn our backs, next day it's gone again," said Douglas McAllister, a spokesperson for the company during a community meeting on Monday.
When the utility poles are knocked down for copper, it often cuts off the WiFi service in the area, further isolating the residents.
"We're victims of domestic terrorism in a modern age," said Andrea Gordon, another homeowner. "That we are living without effective communications, we need better laws. We need stronger punishments. We need more efficiency all the way around — and we need our phones fixed."
Frontier says that they're considering switching customers in the area from copper to fiber optic service, but that is not a fast process.
In the meantime, residents will brace for more time without phones, hopeful that the Los Angeles city's "Heavy Metal Taskforce" can help lead to an end.
