Fort Worth police vow to crack down on skyrocketing AT&T cable thefts

Fort Worth police vow to crack down on skyrocketing AT&T cable thefts

When Fort Worth City Council member Gyna Bivens started receiving complaints from residents about extended cable outages in their neighborhoods, she knew she could get answers.With a background in the utility industry, Bivens contacted her connections with AT&T and Oncor and quickly learned that the issues her district’s constituents were experiencing were not one-off outages. They were local cases of a trending crime across the country: thieves stealing AT&T cable wires. “For me, it’s a very stupid crime because you can actually die. I’ve seen what happens to bodies that come into contact with overhead wires. They look like briquettes,” Bivens told the Report. “So for someone to want to steal this, it shows a lack of education or a keen sense of being a criminal.”Keen or not, the crime of AT&T cable theft has surged both nationally and in Fort Worth, according to the city’s police department. Police estimate that, in recent years, thousands of Fort Worth residents have suffered service interruptions impacting internet and phone connectivity and hindering emergency response, medical support and everyday business operations. “It is nationwide, in every city in America. And here in Fort Worth in particular, we’re tired of it,” Fort Worth Police Sgt. Anthony White told City Council members during a Feb. 4 council meeting. White leads the department’s metal theft unit. 
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From October 2020 to October 2022, Fort Worth saw 22 reported cases of AT&T cable theft. From October 2022 to October 2024, that number surged 545%, rising to 142 cases. The wire can be sold for as much as $20 per foot, White said. “I don’t know of any other crime in this city that has (had) such an impact in a two- to four-year span,” he said. Alongside Executive Assistant Chief Robert Alldredge, White delivered a presentation to council members outlining the steps Fort Worth police are taking to crack down on the crime of AT&T wire theft. Those steps include: Enforcement efforts. In 2024, the police department arrested over 20 people for crimes involving metal theft. 

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Increased collaboration. With Bivens’ help, the police department has established a collaborative work group focused on sharing information and generating ideas to combat the crime. The group includes Chief Neil Noakes, the police department’s metal theft unit and public relations team, AT&T executive management, and city staff from Fort Worth’s transportation and public works and code compliance departments.

Recycling facility inspections. The police department’s metal theft unit has worked proactively to inspect recycling facilities across the city to ensure adherence to state laws and local ordinances, provide education about AT&T cable thefts and foster relationships with local business management. 

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Public awareness campaigns. The police department’s public relations team is working to educate the public on the crime and encourage residents to report suspicious activities. In addition, White said the metal theft unit is working with AT&T to craft a bill they hope Texas lawmakers will sign into law that would “enhance punishment” for the crime of metal wire theft. Their initiative would implement stricter regulations on the recycling industry and establish more severe penalties for repeat thieves. White noted that the Texas Legislature approved a bill in 2023 that made catalytic converter theft a felony and implemented more severe penalties for the crime. Since then, the previously rising crime has gone down, he said. Fort Worth City Council member Gyna Bivens listens to a presentation during a council meeting May 21, 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)Bivens said she feels heartened by the police department’s efforts to tackle the issue, adding that AT&T cable theft has serious consequences beyond an individual’s ability to check their social media. For many, particularly low-income residents, internet access can serve as a lifeline for those in need of medical care, she added.“That’s what really makes me so angry about it being so widespread, but I’m glad that we are getting a handle on it, and I hope to see us crack down to the point where people will not want to do that for fear of the penalties that we’ll put on them,” Bivens said. White said the best thing residents can do to assist the police department’s response is report any suspicious activity. “If you see somebody climbing up a pole and cutting a wire, call 911 and report it because that’s most likely going to affect thousands of residents’ internet, including your own,” White said. Curtis McGruder, an investigator with AT&T, told council members the company is offering a $10,000 reward for information on cable thefts.Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org or @bycecilialenzen. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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