Copper Stolen From New Haven Facility Twice in One Month

Police are investigating after thieves ripped copper piping from the roof a business on Hamilton Street in New Haven.

According to police, the culprits targeted Goodcopy Printing and Digital Graphics at 110 Hamilton Street on Wednesday night. They pulled $100-200 worth of copper from a rooftop unit and caused damage that will cost hundreds of dollars to repair.

The owner of the unit said it's the second time copper thieves have targeted this facility in less than a month. He's now planning to upgrade security cameras on the roof of the building.

Despite the recent burglary at Goodcopy Printing and Digital Graphics, New Haven police said copper thefts in the city have actually been on the decline.

“We've seen a decrease in the last couple of years,” explained New Haven Police Officer David Hartman.

Hartman said new partnerships with scrap metal companies have helped to keep the numbers low, because the companies are on the lookout for any stolen metal.

“We have a much greater cooperation with the smelting companies and the refineries that take in the scrap metal. They report to us now in real time, with a program called Leads Online, where everything going in is photographed and sent to our detectives,” said Hartman.

When a theft is reported, police can go into a database, pull up the photographs and match it with the items reported stolen.

“There's a much greater accountability with who brings things in, scrap metal into these companies, to redeem them for money, and they are scrutinized a great deal more than they have been in the past,” said Hartman.

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