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Q&A

DTE Energy CSO: Copper Theft Still a Problem

Michael Lynch, CSO of Michigan utility DTE Energy, offers an update on the world of metal theft and on Michigan's problems and progress.

By Katherine Walsh, Staff Writer

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CSO: What are some of the initiatives you're working on?

Lynch: We go door to door, talking to people, sharing information and raising awareness. We do some private patrolling in the hopes of catching people either stealing the wire or burning the sheathing off to get to the copper. We give $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest of someone stealing our wire. Police conducted roughly a dozen raids in the last year. We also give a reward of $2,500 for information that leads to the arrest of anyone buying the copper illegally. These middlemen typically pay thieves half of the actual value of the copper, and sell it to the scrap yard. We were able to shut down one such operation entirely through a tip we received from that reward program.

Copper from a transformer taken down by thieves.

CSO: Where does copper theft lie on your list of security concerns today?

Lynch: From an operational standpoint, it's the most significant threat we have.

CSO: What needs to happen in order for you to feel like you're not constantly playing catch-up?

Lynch: We don't have a problem catching criminals; the problem is what happens when they get in front of a judge. I was part of a team of prosecutors and police that recently met with a group of circuit court judges about the issue, so we are making progress. The legislation is helpful, but it has to come down to what happens when the judge hits his gavel.