Los Angeles residents are panicking copper wire thieves turn off their phone service and leave the bill.


In recent months, Hacienda Heights neighbors have lost most of their landline service after thieves tampered with utility poles and other parts of the city’s infrastructure.


Seventy-nine-year-old Michael Weiner told it Los Angeles Times that he is still receiving bills from his phone company, Frontier Communications, despite not being able to get a dial tone for six months. Additionally, he and his neighbors have not received any updates on repairs.





copper thievescopper thieves



Thieves have sabotaged and stolen copper wire from city facilities in recent years.



“No one contacted us to let us know. I had wasted so many hours trying to contact them,” Weiner said. “We live in kind of a fire zone, so we’re always concerned about emergencies. We’re seniors. If there’s a health emergency between my wife and I, it could be a problem if we can’t make a phone call.”


Texas police say thieves are wiping copper off power lines ‘right before your eyes’: ‘They’re going to extremes’


Frontier Communications reported that some phone service has been restored, although Frontier’s vice president of external affairs, Doug McAllister, told the neighborhood last month that thieves are plaguing their repairs.


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“We’ve had so many cable thefts that we’re running out of copper,” McAllister said. “What happens is when we get it shipped to us, we put it on, we turn our backs and it’s gone again.”


The company is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of the thieves. Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis is also offering a $20,000 reward.


“I am committed to continuing to support our Sheriff’s Department in its efforts to solve these crimes,” Solis said in a statement.





An old telephoneAn old telephone



Several Hacienda Heights residents reported that their landlines had been down for months.



Other residents are still frustrated that Frontier is taking too long to address the problem and many are still not receiving service. Diana Arnold, a 65-year-old resident, told the Los Angeles Times that she and her family have now switched shifts.


“It’s not just a landline, it’s a lifeline,” Arnold explained.


According to the Los Angeles Times, copper metal can fetch up to $4 per pound and is a popular commodity among thieves.


Recent thefts also caused Glen A. Wilson High School to temporarily cancel in-person classes after the power was turned off last month.


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“The copper wire theft has shut down Wilson High School’s electrical, computer and telephone systems. Copper wire thieves prey on schools and steal thousands of dollars worth of valuable equipment,” said Hacienda La Puente Unified School Assistant Superintendent John Lovato District. “This theft has serious consequences for student learning and programs.”





Telephone polesTelephone poles



Frontier Communications is offering a reward for helping catch copper wire thieves.



Los Angeles isn’t the only city struggling with copper thieves. In OaklandCity officials removed the traffic lights at a busy intersection after criminals tampered with the electricity in the system.


Original article source: LA residents continued to pay their phone bills even as copper wire thieves disrupted service



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