Hartford's public safety complex is under construction, and thieves have stripped it of copper at least five times since May. As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, the city now says the latest thefts costs at least $45,000.
The city of Hartford is building a new, $77 million public safety complex to help protect its residents. When it opens in 2012, the complex will be the new home of Hartford's police, fire, and emergency communications divisions. But so far, it's been an open invitation for thieves.
Earlier this month, police said they arrested a man for stealing copper pipe and brass fixtures in late November. Allen Matthew Hall-Davis was charged with two counts of larceny and some drug-related charges. It's the third arrest in thefts from the complex in six months.
Original estimates to fix the damage from the November thefts were less than $25,000. But now, according to documents released by the city, it looks like the cost exceeds $45,000. Much of that is in labor.
According to city documents and police reports, that brings the total damages to around $100,000 -- including copper thefts as far back as May.
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.
Jeff Cohen started in newspapers in 2001 and joined Connecticut Public in 2010, where he worked as a reporter and fill-in host. In 2017, he was named news director. Then, in 2022, he became a senior enterprise reporter.