Copper Thefts spike in area | News

The number of copper thefts in our area has spiked in recent years.

Thieves have caused thousands of dollars in damage to numerous places across the Capital Region.

That includes the Central Warehouse in Albany.

Two years ago, thieves stripped more than 200,000 pounds of copper from the building.

As they were doing it, they sparked the fire that burned for days.

Now, Senator Charles Schumer wants to make it a Federal crime to steal metal from critical infrastructure and more.

Schumer's legislation would also require metal sellers to provide proof of ownership and limit cash payments from recyclers to $100.