William Long, a director with AT&T Global Security, told the Dallas Public Safety Committee the company considers Dallas a hotspot for critical‑infrastructure theft and described growing sophistication among thieves who are now targeting underground manholes.

"These are large pieces of copper... they weigh a lot," Long said, and added that bad actors can remove lengths of cable "anywhere from a small 10 to 12 foot piece up to 4 or 500 feet at a time." He told members AT&T is partnering with Dallas Police and other industry and regional law‑enforcement partners to educate the public and recyclers and to form a coordinated response.

AT&T's investigator Curtis McGruder said enforcement has produced many arrests: "we had 150 arrests" and many defendants were repeat offenders or had felony records, he said, and that prosecutors and police are working to keep repeat offenders detained. McGruder said the modus operandi shifted in 2024 from aerial cable theft to manhole extractions and that the company is focusing on public awareness so residents can report suspicious activity.

Matt Wilkins of AT&T Global Security said the company is in early stages of standing up a working group that will include private industry and law enforcement in the Dallas-Fort Worth region to share intelligence, best practices and prosecution advice.

Council members urged broad community outreach, notifying neighborhood associations and industry stakeholders, and asked AT&T to share brochures and public‑service announcements for community distribution.

Why it matters: Telecommunications infrastructure theft can cut lifelines including phone, internet, alarms and medical alerts for residents and businesses. The presentation emphasized coordinated prevention, improved evidence collection and prosecution policy as paths to reduce repeat offending.

Committee members did not vote on policy but asked staff to coordinate outreach; AT&T offered to provide materials and to meet with neighborhood groups.