Location: Denver
Theft Date: April 12
Value of stolen items: Not yet determined
Nearly 20 thieves who broke through welded doors at an abandoned Denver building with visions of turning copper into dollar signs were chased by police through the facility.
Seven suspects were arrested and two police dogs were injured, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
The rising price of scrap metal has contributed to an increase in theft in places where the material is stored. With scrap yards and other recycling businesses typically paying between 85 and 90 percent of the metal’s original value, copper theft is a lucrative business, Ken Geremia, manager of communications for the Copper Development Association, told the paper.
Companies that deal with copper must also watch out for employees with sticky fingers.
Weather Guard Building Products in Denver recently learned former and current employees were smuggling copper and aluminum coils out of the building in the trash. The company calculated a $100,000 loss over an eight-month period.
