Copper wire theft shuts down 911 service in three cities, California police say

Accused copper wire thieves disabled 911 service to three Northern California cities, police reported.

Dispatchers in Pinole noticed the disruption at 7:20 p.m. Saturday, June 22, the police department said in a news release.

911 lines in nearby Hercules and San Pablo also were affected, police said.

The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office took over answering 911 calls to the three cities and redirected them to police, officials said.

The disruption followed an earlier outage June 4, police said. Officers rushed to the scene of the previous copper wire theft and said they found three men fleeing into an open field.

Officers arrested a 31-year-old Hayward man and a 49-year-old Richmond man on charges, including vandalism and damaging telephone lines, police said.

The third man eluded police, officers said.

Police said they found equipment for cutting copper cables and telephone lines.

The disruption also affected telephone service to other city departments, police said.

Police ask anyone with information to call 510-724-1111.

Pinole is about a 20-mile drive northeast of San Francisco.

This story was originally published June 26, 2024 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Copper wire theft shuts down 911 service in three cities, California police say."