LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — People in Pine Bluff including Reverend Jesse Turner have been dealing with copper cable issues since February.
Last year, he reached out to AT&T in regards to losing cable service due to copper thefts in the area. After receiving a response, he said that officials were going to go out and put the wires underground.
While they followed through, Reverend Turner explained that another issue arose.
"Well, when they finished, they left all of the wires that scattered all across the city hanging and dangling," Reverend Turner said. "It's just an eyesore."
Other members of the community have also dealt with similar issues— which have led to the ongoing problem of copper theft in the community.
In areas such as 31st and Ohio Street or Main and Harding Street, wires sit in the middle of the road. All clumped together with damaged parts on power lines.
Reverend Turner said he believes that when issues like this happen, they cause a broken windows theory— meaning that over time a community can become run down and trashed, ultimately attracting crime.
While the copper thievery in the area has become a problem, Turner said his complaints lean more on AT&T doing the repair work and not completing the job.
"There's anywhere from 1000 to 1200 copper wires in that big bundle, and so they can take it under a fire, strip all that copper down, take it to a recycling yard, and they're getting anywhere from 50 cents to $3 a pound," described Jacob Kidd, a Private Contractor hired by AT&T.
When we spoke to AT&T officials on whether or not the damaged cables belonged to them, they responded with a release that said "Our teams are working as quickly as possible to repair damage to our network infrastructure."
They also said that one of the wires on Main and Harding is not part of their property. When Reverend Turner took us to Main and Harding Street, he pointed out a few additional details.
"This box here has AT&T, and all of these wires are coming out of here. This wire is coming out of there," he described.
When we traveled to Ohio Street, crews hired by AT&T with the name RH Aeriel & Underground Construction were removing the faulty wires and beginning the process of placing them underground.
"We started at 3120 South Ohio Street here in Pine Bluff, and we've made it to about the 2700 block. We've gotten probably 1200 to 2000 feet of stolen cable that, you know we're tearing down stranding off," Kidd said.
Reverend Turner has waited eight months for someone to come out and fix the loose cables. He said they pose serious hazards for drivers and people in the area— which has prompted him to search for solutions.
"Is it happening in other places? Do they have these same complaints in other places?" "I think not," he said.
While he is happy that the issue is being resolved, he thinks the city and provider should be doing more.
Pine Bluff community concerned over loose cords which could lead to copper thefts
