GARLAND, Texas — One video caught a thief almost flipping over a car as he tried desperately to rip down a utility wire.
Another shows a man in a reflective vest, posing as a legitimate worker.
And one picture caught a thief high in the air – on top of the wires working feverishly to steal them.
It’s just a sample of what Garland Police say they’ve suddenly started to experience.
“This spike has recently occurred in the last several months,” Garland Police Lt. Pedro Barineau said. “Prior to this, it was almost nonexistent.”
They are risking death by electrocution, Barineau said of the criminals.
“Cutting cables 20 to 30 feet above their head -- If they cut the wrong cable, they could likely die,” he said.
Investigators have not pinpointed the cause of the surge. And Garland is not the only department experiencing it.
Residents in Dallas and Fort Worth reported copper thefts earlier in 2024.
Arlington police confirmed they’ve experienced more copper theft activity this year than in recent years.
Barineau said departments across North Texas are sharing information with each other and working with recycling companies to help track down suspects.
But the cases are not related, he said.
“This is not one huge, organized crime syndicate. This is individual people committing these crimes and they’re doing it right in front of us,” Barineau said.
Each time a utility line is cut, customers usually lose phone and internet access and repairs can cost providers thousands of dollars.
Garland police say one recent theft caused an estimated $10,000 in damages.
In that case, police say the suspects had parked a U-haul truck in the middle of traffic on a busy street at 6 p.m. on a Wednesday and were loading it full of copper cables they’d just cut down.
Passersby called 911, and the police ended up pursuing the U-haul.
Three arrests were made.
Barineau said help from the public is key to capturing the thieves – he encourages people to call 911 if they see a theft in action.
Capturing video is great, too, if it can be safely done.
“But don’t take matters into your own hands,” Barineau said. "One of the suspects from the U-haul was armed."