for the same reason you can't set a BoobyTrap in your house or business to catch/kill intruders, it's against RAT enacted laws... you do, and YOU will goto jail and the scum that broke in will get off and SUE you... and WIN!!!
Posted on 10/13/2007 6:46:14 AM PDT by george76
Attempted Theft Knocks Out Power To 2,000 Customers.
Somewhere in Metro Denver, someone is nursing an electrical burn...
Investigators say a thief or thieves cut a fence to gain entry into an Intermountain Rural Electric Association substation ...
Once inside, they started clipping electrical wires. Company officials said one of the wires was "hot."
"When they cut that wire," said IREA Line Superintendent Les Turner, "they had a flash of about 7,000 volts."
Turner said that flash had to cause injury. "It could be anywhere from a severe sunburn appearance to second or third degree burns on his hand."
"We've put the word out to local hospitals to be aware that individuals might be reporting with burns to their hands or face, and if they do, to let us know," ...
Investigators said the thieves would likely have tried to sell the wire to scrap dealers. They said there is a new law on the books that requires metal dealers to record who they buy that scrap from.
"Before this year," Capt. Fisher said, "we didn't have any idea who was selling metal. So now, it's like a pawn shop. They're required to obtain photo identification, hold the product for five days, get license plate information and the signature of the seller."
this is the seventh time this year that thieves have broken into IREA facilities and cut wire. They say other utilities, like United Power and Xcel Energy are dealing with similar problems.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedenverchannel.com ...
I honestly can’t see how breaking into a place like that could happen so easily....just leave a “hot” attached to certain things a perpe would grasp and ground ...no problemo after the first word WILL get around!!
How shocking!
He’s lucky he lived.
We had a meth-head last year who tried stealing the copper wire from a live substation. The Fire Department had to wait 45 minutes for the power to be turned off before they could put him out and recover what was left. I can only imagine the joy one might feel at the decision to become a Civl Servant when faced with something like that to clean up on behalf of the public...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Scrap metal thieves stole the downspouts off of our store building, we replaced them with vinyl ones. It’s getting ridiculous, we have to lock everything up. I keep hearing that it’s because of all of the dam building & stuff in China that is causing the price of scrap metal to go up. Is this true?
Quoting another FReeper from the other day: I’ll find that thread in a few minutes.
He earned the Bad Conduct Metal.”
We’ve been seeing copper thefts left and right in my area. Has the price gone up that much?
Yes, the industrialization in China and India is driving up the price of scrap metal and cardboard. Try holding on to moving boxes these days, too!
yep...they are buying scrap like no tommorrow...
As we would say, he got Zotted!
Thieves are such charming, intelligent people.
the company from which I retired once built an industrial plant out in the boondocks - fenced the property and added another fenced storage area for electrical wire reels on the perimeter. The thieves made a dirt road thru the woods, cut the clips holding fence wires so the fabric would push up (or down), cut the cable in 8’ lengths, hauled to the waiting pickup - took them to another area to burn off the insulation - hauled across state lines to sell. This must have gone on for a month before anyone noticed. Luckily lot numbers are inscribed on the metal. Thieves are good at what they do, but not good enough!
This man wasn't so lucky.
for the same reason you can't set a BoobyTrap in your house or business to catch/kill intruders, it's against RAT enacted laws... you do, and YOU will goto jail and the scum that broke in will get off and SUE you... and WIN!!!
"When they cut that wire," said IREA Line Superintendent Les Turner, "they had a flash of about 7,000 volts." Turner said that flash had to cause injury. "It could be anywhere from a severe sunburn appearance to second or third degree burns on his hand."
yep, 7,000 Volts is definitely gonna leave a mark.
I’m guessing the proceeds aren’t going to his MIT tuition??
Pray for W and Our Troops
Actually, one can probably argue that the legal “discouragement” of setting booby-traps is a common law tradition with a lineage of at least a couple hundred years.
No, but the ILLEGALS are getting more deperate.
It’s not the volts that count... it’s the amps.
I was shocked as a teen with 75,000 volts (very briefly) when I was tired of being forced to mowing the lawn... and peed on the mower engine (read, spark plug) (while it was still running)! <- duh!! It was a stupid mistake (which I learned much from >.< ).. but it did teach me something! (still haven’t figured out what yet, besides don’t pee on a spark plug!), but, it did hurt, and I was still able to produce babies ;)
Also, tasers are 50,000 volts! It’s the amps I tell ya!
MJ
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