Common recommendations for deterring copper theft include painting copper black to disguise it as plastic tubing, fencing areas with copper, or investing in alarm systems, surveillance cameras or security officers.

Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana legislators are working to crack down on copper thieves, devising similar legislation so someone will not be able to steal copper from one state and try to sell it in another.

Copper wire thefts from highway street lights have decreased over the past few months following a December plea for help, an Indiana Department of Transportation official said Thursday. Crews are crediting counter-theft measures put in place with the Indiana State Police.

Disguised as authentic utility workers, a band of copper thieves dug up and stole nearly £280,000-worth of redundant cabling from locations all around London, many of which were leaked through at least one crooked BT employee.

Efforts to crack down on copper theft suffered a setback in New Jersey with the surprise veto of a bill that would have required scrap dealers to keep records of their purchases.

Sims Metal Management, with locations throughout much of the U.S., will pay $4.1 million to settle a lawsuit after San Francisco and Contra Costa County accused the company of purchasing stolen metal.

18 people have been indicted in the scheme, which involved stealing raw copper from an Arizona mine, disguising it as scrap metal and then selling it to China via the black market. 

In Arizona, law enforcement just broke up a copper theft ring that stole $10 million in the metal. In Kansas, an energy firm hit by thefts said it will make ratepayers cover the losses.

There hasn't been a single prosecution in Memphis for selling or buying prohibited scrap metal since 2009.