The Wilmore Police Department is urging residents to be vigilant and take care of their neighbors.
In the past week a string of copper thefts within the city limits has piqued the attention of police chief Bill Craig, who said there may be more to come or some unreported.
There were three residential copper thefts reported at vacant houses and two catalytic converters taken from parked vehicles in the city limits, Craig said.
At this time, it is unclear if the thefts are all related but it is a likely possibility considering the time frame, Craig said.
Craig also said that time of the thefts was uncertain but the police assume they took place at night.
“What it appears they’ve been doing is driving around looking for vacant homes,” Craig said. “Then they go through the crawl space or wherever they can get in and remove the copper pipes and wires.
“It is not easy to pinpoint time because some of the houses have been vacant for months.”
There may be even more copper thefts than the police or owners of vacant homes know about at this time. Homeowners who rent out their Wilmore homes or are not there often should check or ask their neighbors to do the same, Craig said.
“We want people to just take a look at their surroundings, know their neighbors and report any suspicious or strange activity to us,” Craig said. “I’d much rather go on a preventive call than to a call after a theft has already taken place.”
According to a U.S. Department of Energy report, copper is in high demand with a market value growing worldwide.
Kentucky has among the most reported copper thefts annually next to Ohio and Indiana, the report states.
