DALLAS — If you see something, say something.
“I actually -- I caught the criminals on film,” said Kimberly Stanton Bowe, a Dallas resident.
Kimberly Stanton Bowe has been speaking up for two years. She lives in Northwest Dallas and teaches virtually, so the internet is not just a want. It is a need.
“We’ve had thieves in the neighborhood come through to cut the good old telephone lines to get the copper and steal it,” said Stanton Bowe.
In a video from two years ago, Stanton Bowe can be heard saying, “The thieves are back. They just stole the internet again.”
She caught the person on camera cutting wires in the alley and dragging it to a truck.
“They can do it in less than five minutes, so the poor police cannot get here that fast, understandably,” said Stanton Bowe. “They are very very quick, and they’re brazen. They’ll come in the middle of the night. They’ll come at two o’clock in the afternoon. They come bringing a truck, a ladder, two men and some kind of saw.”
Stanton Bowe uses a fiber network, which AT&T said is more resilient than a copper network, but Stanton Bowe is still impacted.
“The fiber optic rests on top of the copper line. When they cut the copper, they accidentally get the fiber,” said Stanton Bowe.
Each time the wires are cut, it leaves her with no phone, internet, or cable.
“I feel very powerless. Like when you call AT&T and their call center doesn’t even know what I’m talking about, and yet, AT&T tells me this is a national problem," Stanton Bowe said. "I’m like, 'AT&T, you’re a national company. Why aren’t your call centers prepared to take this type of call?'”
Her neighborhood has been hit four times in the last three weeks. The most recent incident was Thursday. A neighbor’s Ring camera caught a van during a theft. Two days later, the camera caught another person driving off in a rented pickup truck with wires in the back.
“It’s kind of surreal because like I said, you can just walk out, and they just cut it. You’re right there,” said Stanton Bowe.
WFAA spoke with a Red Bird resident who wanted to remain anonymous. He caught someone on camera stealing copper in his neighborhood, too.
“Everybody would be dressed in, how can I say this, safety guards,” said the resident. “They’ll drag the wire all the way down the street and continue to chop it up. Two or three trucks will take all the wires and they’ll disappear.”
AT&T owns the wires cut in Stanton Bowe’s neighborhood. WFFA learned that in 2022, repairs could cost anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000.
“That means AT&T has spent over $80,000 in this alley, and we are no better off than we were two years ago,” said Stanton Bowe.
In a statement, AT&T said, “theft and vandalism of communications infrastructure is a serious matter that affects public safety and the community at large. We’re actively working with local law enforcement as they investigate to find those responsible. The public should also report to the police any unmarked (non-AT&T) vehicles or individuals cutting and removing cable. Maintaining uninterrupted and high-quality service for customers is a top priority.”
They also said, “Fiber and wireless-based networks are faster, more reliable, use less energy and require less maintenance over time. Our fiber network is more resilient than our outdated copper network during climate disasters, when staying connected is essential. Old copper cables take significantly longer to repair following weather events, in some cases taking weeks to dry because of damage due to extensive rain and flooding.”
The City of Dallas said Dallas Police are trying to find those responsible. DPD told WFAA they inspect scrap metal yards and work with businesses and communities to crack down on these thefts.
“If I did not lock my house and I was robbed eight times. People would think I was nuts,” said Stanton Bowe. “We need a permanent solution and not just throwing money at hanging copper.”
She also had a simple message to the criminals. “Stop stealing stuff that doesn’t belong to you,” said Stanton Bowe.
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