Copper Burglaries on the Rise in 66th Precinct

While overall crime is down in the 66th Precinct, there has been an increase in robberies and burglaries since this time last year, said Deputy Inspector John Sprague at last week's community council meeting.

The burglars are primarily targeting vacant houses, stripping them of valuable metals like copper, which is found in pipes and water meters.

"Copper is probably close to $4 a pound, and some of these water meters are close to 100, 100-plus pounds," Sprague said. "Then they’ll take another 100 pounds of copper out of the house."

There have been eight instances of pilfered copper in the last year, Sprague said. Such a clear trend can usually be traced back to just one perpetrator, but in this case, police have already made five arrests.

Police keep an especially close eye on people pushing shopping carts down the street, since the carts make a convenient means of transporting heavy materials.

"You can't carry 200 pounds. It's kinda hard," Sprague said, adding that residents should feel free to call the police if they see someone traversing the block with a shopping cart.

"If they’re fine, they’re fine and we’ll send them on their way. They shouldn’t have shopping carts anyway. That property belongs to the supermarket."

According to CompStat reports, the precinct has seen a 30 percent rise in burglaries since this time last year, with 64 in 2011 and 83 in 2012. There has been nearly a 16 percent increase in robberies.

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