AT&T … that … the company … reward … Anaheim … copper … arrests.
Oops, sorry, lemme get out of that cell hole. … AT&T announced Monday that the company is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever has been stealing the network's copper cable in Riverside and Orange County.
Can you hear me now?
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Most of the OC thefts have been in the Anaheim area, according to a spokeswoman, who adds there have been more than 20 “attacks” on the AT&T network since May in both counties.
Thieves are generally cutting and removing copper cable from utility poles, some in broad daylight while dressed as telecommunications workers. “Residents should be aware that all official AT&T vehicles display the company logo, in contrast to the modes of transportation used by the suspected thieves,” reads an AT&T statement. “Likewise, all AT&T employees possess company issued photo identification.”
Besides being a pain in the ass to the real honest to goodness crew members who must replace the cables, it's been a pain in the ass to customers who have lost service. It has the potential to prove deadly as emergency calls for police, fire or medical assistance could be effected.
“AT&T takes this matter very seriously,” Jim Clark, director of AT&T's Core Installation and Maintenance for Riverside and Orange County, says in the statement. “We're hoping the reward will motivate people to be alert and to pay close attention to any suspicious individuals who appear to be working on, or trying to cut down AT&T network cables. We are working with law enforcement to ensure those responsible are apprehended and prosecuted.”
Anyone who thinks they can claim the award is asked to call 1.800.807.4205. If you see a cable theft in progress, you are asked to also contact your local law enforcement agency.
Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.