Hundreds of copper theft incidents occur in California and AT&T asks "what's missing"

While it's true that legacy, copper-based communication networks are old and weary, they're failing not simply because of their age. Maintenance has not stopped. But there's an organized copper theft that's simply getting out of hand in Southern California.

By the close of 2025, AT&T had recorded over 10,400 instances of copper theft across the US, averaging 200 reports per week and totaling more than $82 million in damages. California remained the most heavily impacted region, accounting for over 7,300 of these incidents and exceeding $54 million in financial losses.

More frequently and on a larger scale

According to Rahdeese Alcutt (Lead Investigator, AT&T Global Security) copper theft in Southern California is happening "more frequently" and "on a much larger scale".

There's a new blog post by Mr. Alcutt, titled "Copper Theft - What We're Missing" (a clear play on words), and I'd like to offer a wild suggestion right now. What California is missing is not only better policing but also far more effective, harsh and strict convictions. I can guarantee you that this simple trick will make copper theft incidents go down in numbers really fast.

Back to the blog post, though: the copper-based infrastructure would be "challenging but manageable" if it were not for the thieves. Planned upgrades and maintenance are what's costing AT&T billions of dollars, but when you're dealing with large-scale crime, it's way harder to keep up.

According to Mr. Alcutt, the situation in major metropolitan areas (but also in smaller cities) with copper theft can now be described as "systematic" – it's risen to such levels!

There are a ton of places and utilities that one can steal copper from. These include railroads and transit systems (it's super dangerous), power utilities, HVAC contractors, city lighting systems, et cetera.

In other words, where there's civilization, there's copper to be found.

The area (and the industry) that suffers

Mr. Alcutt was born and raised in Southern California. It's where his home is.

Every day, he walks the streets with local law enforcement and AT&T's technicians to follow up on cases of copper theft. He says that in Southern Cali, there are "days when hundreds of copper theft incidents occur"

What this means is that AT&T simply can't repair damage as fast as it happens. Meanwhile, some damage goes undetected for weeks or months and crews are often stuck in a constant cycle of reacting to the next incident.

It's organized

The worst part is that this doesn't even seem like a "one-off, opportunistic" theft. According to the article, there is evidence of organized crime. Thieves are using heavy machinery and coordinated moves on the same lines at the same time.

Sure, there is new detection and monitoring technology being deployed (alongside physical security upgrades), but even you or I could help.

How to help?

Besides calling 911 if you see something suspicious, you can also reach out to AT&T Global Security at 1-888-871-2622.

In California, AT&T is offering a $20,000 reward for specific and detailed information that can lead to an arrest and conviction of copper cable thieves, or anyone attempting to sell or purchase stolen copper cable.