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The telecommunications company said Tuesday it is still offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects responsible for stealing wiring from its telephone poles.

Thieves, like recyclers, want to cash in on the rising demand for the metal in countries like China.

In the south Fulton city of Fairburn alone there have been 16 incidents of copper thefts from AT&T polls this year — six so far this month, spokeswoman Emily Edmonds said Tuesday.

In nearby Palmetto, copper thieves have struck poles eight times this year.

“These thieves are actually using deer stands or they’re backing up trucks to the poles to climb up to actually cut the copper cable, and it’s all AT&T poles,” said Edmonds, who would not put a dollar figure on the thefts or related damage.

“Our biggest concern is when these copper wires are cut, obviously the phones are down and emergency services can’t be reached,” the spokeswoman said. That means people dialing 911 on land lines won’t be able to get through.

There have been at least 32 incidents of copper thefts targeting AT&T poles in Atlanta so far this year, the majority in Fulton County.

Detective J. Cross of the Fulton County Police Department say thieves take the wires extending from pole to pole, roll it up and burn off the encasement so it can’t be traced. They then may sell it to an middleman at a discount, and the middleman may sell it to a recycler.

But AT&T isn’t the only target. Atlanta police reporting 150 copper theft incidents in June alone. Air conditioner units are a favorite target, especially at vacant and foreclosed homes, churches and businesses, such as shopping centers.

“We’ve arrested some folks in the past, and some of them are still incarcerated and others have gotten out,” Cross said. “It makes it hard to charge them a lot of time because its hard to prove the stuff they are taking in is stolen.”

Last month, another alleged member of a copper-stealing ring was arraigned before a U.S. magistrate judge in Atlanta on federal charges stemming from the theft of nearly a half-million dollars worth of wire from a Carrollton company.

Edmonds said AT&T’s problem is not only in Georgia, but across the country, and the company is offering rewards elsewhere.

Companies and their suppliers are trying to fight back.

Southwire, North America’s largest manufacturer of wire and cable, produces a laser-etched wire with a unique code that allows prosecutors to trace its orgin. Other companies use paint.

Edmonds said a task force of representatives from law enforcement agencies, scrap/recycling companies, utility companies and railroads meets once a month to discuss trends and exchange information on thefts.

Georgia law also holds metal thieves accountable for the damage they cause. Sellers of metal must present valid identification, and that record must be kept by recyclers, who now can’t accept cash for certain kinds of copper.

AT&T urges anyone with information about the recent copper thefts to call 1-800-807-4205.

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