You can get $1,000 reward for reporting fiber-optic cable theft in Phoenix

PHOENIX — Copper theft has a significant impact on the community, not just due to its financial implications. 

A copper thief can cut one fiber-optic line, causing an outage for an entire community, including emergency services, according to CenturyLink. 

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Silent Witness and CenturyLink have teamed up to combat the issue. Part of their joint effort is to increase awareness of how to recognize suspicious activity and signs of copper theft.

Many of the thefts take place in broad daylight. Thieves use their own trucks, marked with a sign for a fake repair company. They will wear work vests to create the illusion that they are legitimate and mark off areas with cones, and then dig up and steal fiber-optic cables.

CenturyLink representatives say the surge in copper theft is having an increasingly dangerous effect on public safety, emergency communications, and essential services.

Cutting a fiber-optic copper wire cable can disrupt services to the community’s 911 system or cause a hospital to lose access to life-saving patient information.

CenturyLink said its repair people will always be in a vehicle marked by its logo. Their uniforms will also be marked with the CenturyLink logo.

CenturyLink also said its repair people will never use a ladder to access a telephone pole. 

A theft in Washington state caused a major outage in Seattle in June 2024, according to CenturyLink. 12News’ sister station KING reported on the incident. Around 900 businesses were affected by the outage. Some of the businesses lost internet services for weeks. One suspect was arrested in connection with the copper wire thefts.

MORE INFORMATION: Copper theft leaves Seattle business without phone service

Anyone who sees suspicious activity should contact the police.

Tips that lead to an arrest will be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward, with full anonymity being offered. Tipsters can call into 480-WITNESS, 480-TESTEGO or provided a tip at silentwitness.org.

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