How to Prevent Copper Theft

Copper theft is growing problem facing businesses and home owners in Phoenix and surrounding areas. Since 2008 copper and other metal thefts have risen every year and accounted for billions of dollars in losses across the nation. In 2012 over 10,000 residences in Arizona filed insurance claims for copper theft. With continued high prices for copper and other metals sold as scrap and legislation proving ineffective its important for residents and business owners to take steps to protect their home and businesses from metal theft.

Copper and metal thieves target any exposed metal on your property. Recently thieves went as far to steal copper from electrical poles around Tempe town lake. Often thieves target roof top HVAC systems, electrical conduits, utility boxes, exposed plumbing and other hard to see areas. Because metal is nearly impossible to trace, thieves are able to sell the stolen metal for scrap.

Fortunately there are ways to protect your home and business and prevent copper theft.

Video Surveillance and Monitoring

One of the most effective ways to catch a copper thief is to install a video surveillance and monitored alarm system. However all systems are not created equal. Most traditional CCTV systems sold by most alarm companies are hardwired and rely on using the video after the crime has occurred to identify the suspects. This is often not effective and results in few arrests and does not prevent the crime from occurring. Because traditional CCTV systems are hardwired, and copper theft often involves cutting and stealing electrical and video wire, security systems are often rendered unoperational and ineffective during the copper theft.

Titan Alarm has worked with leading industry companies developed systems to prevent copper theft by catching the thieves in the act or before the crime is committed. Our systems combine wireless motion detector with video IP video cameras that capture and identify movement using sophisticated software, triggering video monitoring, day or night, and alerting our central monitoring station which will verify the video and dispatch authorities up to 90% faster than traditional systems. Our systems are wireless and discreet, to the average person they don’t appear like a video camera and operate over cellular service, so even if the camera itself is stolen it will still continue to send video and location information. Resulting in more arrests.

Video Verification

Traditional security often trigger false alarms, and because of this many jurisdictions require verification to receive a priority response from law enforcement. A verified alarm triggers a priority response from police allowing them to arrive in time to stop damage or theft of your property. Titan Alarm has partnered with leading security companies to offer video verification of alarm events. Our systems capture video once a senor is activated, the video can quickly be verified as a real event and dispatch police within seconds. The differences in response times is often dramatic making video verification a must for companies that are serious about protecting livelihood. In Phoenix Arizona an unverified alarm had an average response time of up to two hours, a Titan Verified video alarm has an average response time of 5min 13sec. Allowing ample time for the police to arrive and stop the theft before its complete.

Other Steps to Preventing Copper Theft:

Managed Access Control

Often access to the job site, facility or residence is what allows copper theft to occur. Securing your properties perimeter is important to preventing copper theft.

Using motion detectors and IP video surveillance and verified alarm systems combined with managed access controls on all gates, doors and latters is a good way to protect your property. Access control systems for gates, doors and entrances allows your employees, family and friends to have access to your property while stopping all others. Our advanced software based systems can identify intruders and detect whether the motion that triggered the alarm was actually an intruder or was an animal or other non threatening motion. By using smart software along with video verification you can insure the quickest response time and fewer false alarms.

Speak with a security consultant.

Like most things, if you are serious about doing it right, its best to speak with an expert. At Titan Alarm we have decades of experience preventing theft. We employ only the top experts in the field, with back grounds in security, law enforcement and technology. Our security experts will work with you to create a cost effective and highly effective system to ensure the safety or your property and investment.

Learn More About Access Control

Updated by Titan Alarm on November 2, 2018.