{"id":3666,"date":"2026-07-16T05:03:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3666"},"modified":"2026-07-16T05:03:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T05:03:42","slug":"new-safeguards-arent-stopping-copper-thieves-in-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3666","title":{"rendered":"New safeguards aren\u2019t stopping copper thieves in Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Police need help to find the suspects from a string of copper thefts from street lights in South Tucson.<\/p>\n

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88-CRIME shared a flyer that shows a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. The majority of the thefts have happened between 38th Street and 26th Street, along the 4th Avenue corridor.<\/p>\n

South Tucson Police Chief Danny Denogean said it is creating a danger for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have traffic lights that are not working, it can cause more traffic accidents, or it makes the area more darker if people are crossing the street and vehicles don\u2019t see them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The thefts are happening despite more restrictions on the scrap metal industry at the state and local levels.<\/p>\n

South Tucson Police Chief Danny Denogean said the city has seen an increase in copper theft in recent months, with many thieves targeting wire to fund drug purchases.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a bigger rash here in the city of South Tucson in the last several months,\u201d Denogean said. \u201cIt\u2019s people usually stealing the copper wire and wire so they can go sell and use for drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city has an ordinance that requires all sales of scrap copper to be logged, tracked, and people must provide a driver\u2019s license and the source of the metal.<\/p>\n

Local recycling companies told 13 News it hasn\u2019t deterred these thieves.<\/p>\n

In fact, the South Tucson Police Department said it has seen a sharp rise in copper thefts over the past three months, including one at a house that was part of the Casa Maria program.<\/b><\/u><\/i> That cost the non-profit nearly $10,000 in repairs. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think rewiring the damage cost us almost $10,000,\u201d said South Tucson Mayor Roxanna Valenzuela. \u201cSo I can\u2019t imagine how families are able to afford repairs like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The criminals didn\u2019t actually get $10,000 in scrap. They may pocket a few hundred dollars, but they leave behind so much more in damage.<\/p>\n

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Industry experts said that with the price of copper doubling over the last three years, the thieves have workarounds to sell their stolen wares.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a lock on a door, it keeps an honest person honest, OK,\u201d said Gary Kippur, president of Tucson Iron & Metal.<\/b><\/u><\/i> \u201cSomebody really wants to get in, they\u2019re gonna get in. Even if something\u2019s stolen and brought to me, if there\u2019s no serial number or identifying mark, the police can\u2019t prosecute it no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kippur said his business doesn\u2019t buy copper anymore, unless from a verified and trusted source, like a licensed plumber or electrician.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just not worth it for a reputable scrap dealer to deal with it,\u201d Kippur said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want the problem. We don\u2019t want the issue. Obviously, on Monday morning, somebody comes in with their trunk and a bunch of folded up copper in the trunk, we generally won\u2019t buy that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kippur said physical security is the most effective solution, pointing to locked enclosures and cages for backflow protectors and other copper-containing equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you\u2019re the city, the state, a company, an industry, you have to protect it and make sure that it\u2019s safe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The city of South Tucson is focusing on security by putting more wrought iron around the street lamps.<\/p>\n

The person or people responsible have mostly targeted copper wiring on city streetlights.<\/p>\n

Anyone with information is asked to call 88-CRIME or go to www.88CRIME.org<\/b><\/u><\/i>.<\/b><\/u><\/i><\/p>\n

Are you streaming 13 News?<\/p>\n

Watch a free live stream of Tucson Now and 13 News at TucsonNow.Live.<\/p>\n

Be sure to download the free Tucson Now app, which you can find on Apple and Google.<\/p>\n

If you are using a desktop computer, you can use your mobile device to scan the QR code below.<\/p>\n

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You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The suspects have mostly targeted copper wiring on city streetlights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nNew safeguards aren\u2019t stopping copper thieves in Arizona - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3666\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New safeguards aren\u2019t stopping copper thieves in Arizona - Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The suspects have mostly targeted copper wiring on city streetlights.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3666\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T05:03:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3666#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3666\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71841c7d449e6ab1ace6bce2f5277255\"},\"headline\":\"New safeguards aren\u2019t stopping copper thieves in Arizona\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T05:03:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3666\"},\"wordCount\":692,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3666#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/aa207bb5571d76379c6801a823ffa872.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3666#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3666\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3666\",\"name\":\"New safeguards aren\u2019t stopping copper thieves in Arizona - 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