Law enforcement, scrap yards team up to combat copper theft in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Action News continues to investigate the effects of wire theft in the Fresno area and the effort to stop it.

Tuesday night, we reported that stolen wires from traffic signals near Tilley Elementary School could disrupt students and their families traveling to the school for months.

Now, we're taking a closer look at how local scrap yards play a role in stopping copper criminals and the challenges many still face.

Tall piles of farm equipment, dumpsters and various other metals fill Bruno's Iron and Metal in Fresno.

As well as large blocks of copper wire.

Bruno's sees people come through with various pieces and wires looking to make a profit, but the law requires they wait three days for a check rather than cash, which allows Bruno's time to ensure the items aren't stolen.

Many of the people who step through their gates are verified contractors, but general manager Christian Honetschlager says they have steps they have to follow with every customer.

"We're asking questions about where the metal is coming from, addresses, phone numbers, names of who they're associated with," said Honetschlager. "Typically, by the time you get to those questions, it's pretty clear if someone is or is not legitimately acquiring these items."

They also get a copy of their license, signature and thumbprint and have surveillance cameras on site and in the office picking up their image.

There are signs Honetschlager says they look for that could indicate the metals weren't obtained legally.

"Most people will say, 'Oh, it's from my property.'" said Honetschlager.

That's when they call in the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

"We go every single week investigating wire theft crimes," said Tony Botti with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office. "It's such a problem over the years that we have a dedicated team -- our Ag Task Force. That's one of their biggest specialties because especially out on farms, ranches, these are the people that are getting hit all the time."

Both the sheriff's office and Bruno's say people target farms and industrial areas because there are less people around to witness the crime.

Honetschlager said criminals even try to target the scrap yard, so they've installed their own security measures.

Although copper wire is still consistently stolen throughout the city, Fresno police no longer keep data on the crime.

Police said if they catch a suspect, they can charge them with both theft and vandalism.

"It can be equal to only a few $100 worth of copper, but thousands of dollars worth of damage to the victim," said Fresno Police Sgt. Felipe Uribe. "With misdemeanor vandalism, anything below three $399 it's a misdemeanor. Anything over $400 it's a felony when it comes to vandalism."

Bruno's said even though they follow the law, people still find places or people that will purchase copper without thorough vetting.

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