Theft of Utility Services (From Criminal and Civil Investigation Handbook, P 7-119 to 7-133, 1981, Joseph J Grau and Ben Jacobson, ed. - See NCJ-84274)

• NCJ Number: 84323
• Author(s): R S Charland
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This discussion of the theft of utility services describes the methods used, types of perpetrators, the legal problems involved in prosecuting perpetrators, and improved methods of detection and prevention.

Abstract

The methods for securing gas and electric service without paying for the amount actually used involve various means of bypassing the meter or tampering with the meter so it records an amount less than that actually used. When performed by a professional 'fixer' (usually a skilled electrician or plumber) many of the thefts are difficult to detect. More and more utilities have found that their own employees are moonlighting as fixers, and there is growing evidence that organized crime figures have recently entered this field, as organized crime controls franchise areas that it leases out to various fixers. The prosecution of perpetrators is often difficult because of the difficulty of proving who committed the tampering, given the public access of the meters. For this and other reasons, utility thefts are given low priority. Detection of utility thefts can be improved by training meter readers to observe signs of tampering and also provide them bonuses when they accurately report tampering. Prevention can be improved by developing better antitampering devices and installing meters less accessible to the customer and less susceptible to bypassing and tampering.