Consumers Energy workers work near I-475 and the Flint River in this Flint Journal file photo.GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan — Helping Consumers Energy catch a copper thief could put quite a surge into your bank account.
Consumers Energy announced on Thursday that it will pay $10,000 — double its usual reward — for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone caught stealing copper wiring from its substations here.
Thieves have hit the utility’s substations in Genesee County 20 times in the past 30 days.
Repairing the damage caused service interruptions to about 25,000 local customers, a Consumers spokeswoman said.
“This is just beginning to get to be a huge community issue,” said Debra Dodd, spokeswoman for Consumers. “We are asking for public’s help. We’ve seen theft before, but not to this extent.”
On Wednesday, 10,000 customers in Flint, Burton and Davison lost power from anywhere from five minutes to an hour because of repairs.
Customers in the area inside Maple, Lapeer, Irish and Center roads in Burton and Davison were affected, as well as Flint residents living in the Hemphill and Van Slyke area, officials said.
Another six thefts took place late last week, Dodd said, including one that resulted in 7,000 homes being cut off from power, she said.
“This also is a public safety issue,” said Dodd. “Anytime anyone’s going into substations, they are literally putting their lives in their hands.”
Theft of metal, in general, has been a huge problem in the city of Flint as thieves target many of the estimated 11,000 vacant homes and have even stolen manhole covers.
The Flint Police Department dedicated two officers to metal theft crimes in August and has also started seizing the vehicles of busted scrappers.
The public can call the Consumers Energy security team at 1-800-760-3295 anytime. Tipsters can remain anonymous. People also can call local law enforcement.
There are nearly 100 substations in the county, Dodd said.
Copper is going for upwards of $2.20 per pound, according to RJ Torching’s web site.
“This crime wave is putting the public’s safety at risk,” Garrick Rochow, vice president of energy delivery for Consumers Energy, said in a statement. “This is a serious issue for all of our customers, but especially for our customers who rely on home medical equipment.”