Copper Thieves In The Mission?
SFist Mary reports on some strange goings-on on her Mission street!
Last night, it was weird to see an unmarked white work truck show up on our street after 10 p.m. We have long held fantasies about being a private investigator or lately, a bounty hunter (hence our Dog the Bounty Hunter pic. Wish you were here to help, man). But last night, crime went down in a way that only left us filled with questions.
It was both thrilling and sad to watch potential crime unfold on our block. Sure, there are constant construction and work crews: SBC, PG&E, you name it, within a one block radius. Big difference, because that work always takes place during the day, never at 10 p.m. at night.
Once the unmarked white work truck was parked on our street, two beefy men in orange vests and white hard hats (all apparel also unmarked) got out. Both men were white and in their thirties or early forties. One was strawberry blond, bearded and had a sizable gut. The truck had a lift, and the non beer belly "worker" got in. He was fiddling with the tubes and wires that are above every building on our block.
We guessed this might be copper thieves at work.
Find out more about the copper market, after the jump!
SFist Mary, contributing.
Last month, copper thieves hit the area behind our relatives' home in Benicia (an unsolved mystery and cluster f- if we've ever heard of one), and a July newsletter from the SF Bayview Police Station posits that "copper is selling at an all time high." Criminals know this too and theft of copper pipe and wiring is also on the increase."
Thieves are going to extremes to get the copper, including a San Jose woman who suffered from burns over half her body while allegedly trying to loot a PG & E box. Copper crime pays: today's Independent from the UK reports that copper prices jumped a whopping two percent yesterday after striking workers at the world's largest metals mine rejected a new pay offer from BHP Billiton. Copper demand is up, supply is down.
Our neighbor went outside and stared the truck down. Let's call him Neighbor X. Neighbor X is known to have a temper and, previously cut down four public trees that he ended up having to replant and later pay a fine for. Because of that, we avoid Neighbor X, but we were happy to see him making some attempt to figure out what the men were up to. Brave and risky, Neighbor X!
Rather than show our own faces, we wanted to take pictures of the two men in orange vests. Having a flash go off could possibly be the dumbest move, ever, so we held off. We remained peepsters safely ensconced behind our window blinds.
Finally, help arrived when a police car cruised up to the side of the truck, driving slowly. It shocked us to watch the police car continue on its way, rather than stopping to investigate. Must be time to call the non-emergency police number and report the truck and wire activity. We were in the middle of describing what the perps were wearing when they jumped in their truck and sped off. The woman taking our report said an alert would go out to all police officers.
We're dying to know if any other SFisters saw similar mysterious activity last night. This one's a stumper.