We did our share of shoplifting in school, but never did we think, when wandering the aisles, that we should steal some copper wiring to sell to a scrap dealer. This is because we were teenaged girls and not meth addicts, so all we were after was some lipgloss.

But down Tacoma way there has been a rise in the number of copper thefts, stealing wiring and tubing and fixtures from stores and building sites [P-I]. They’re then selling all this copper to scrap dealers, because the cost of copper has risen lately thanks to the building boom in China. In June, 10 thefts made off with about $38,000 worth of the metal in Yelm, Olympia, and Tenino. (Where?) “There’s been a 25 percent increase in metal thefts since 2005, said Detective Brian Stepp, who investigated the June grocery store theft for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. He said he sees a direct connection between the thefts and methamphetamine addiction.”

As a result they’re trying to get surveillance cameras put around places in the industrial area, in the hopes of deterring or catching those pesky thieving tweakers.

Related posts:

1. How low can you go?
2. News that shocks no one
3. Carrying? Going to court?
4. tacomawatch: improbable architecture department
5. dollar day