PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Pine Bluff leaders and police have both been actively working to address the ongoing copper theft issue in the city.
On Thursday, they held a press conference to explain where they're at with arrests and to discuss the work they're doing to put an end to this crime.
According to the Pine Bluff Police Department (PBPD), the copper thefts have been going on for several months and there have been 46 of these incidents so far this year.
Mayor Shirley Washington said she's starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel though and said police have been making progress in finding those responsible.
"We hope that one day we won't have any interruptions at all, but one thing we know is that we're moving in the right direction to making that happen," Mayor Washington said.
So far this year, PBPD has arrested three people in connection to the copper thefts, but Detective Sergeant Keith Banks and Chief Denise Richardson both acknowledged that there's still more work to be done.
"We will have to continue to collaborate with AT&T and other stakeholders to enhance our preventive measures and strengthen our response," Banks said.
"We ask the community to help us with our problems with the copper thefts and basically the theft of services from people who depend on AT&T for their businesses, for their everyday lives," Richardson added.
While thieves sell the stolen copper to scrapyards, they also leave behind costly damage.
"That results in the estimated total of just shy of $400,000 of stolen property and damages," Banks described.
However, it's not just expensive, it can be a safety risk too.
"Our telecommunication networks are considered to be critical infrastructure because they carry the communications you know that you do everything over," said Lisa Lake with AT&T.
"We wanted you to know that we are continuing the effort with AT&T, with the city of Pine Bluff, with our police department, to bring an end to this terrible situation," Richardson said.
Richardson also explained how most of the copper thefts are happening in vacant lots.
If you see anything suspicious you're asked to call the police and you could even get a reward of up to $5,000 in exchange for information.