DENVER — RTD rail lines have become a frequent target for copper thieves over the last couple of years, with suspects recently hitting the G Line three times in one week, ripping out more than 14 feet of wire.
And RTD transit police said the problem isn’t going to go away anytime soon as copper prices hover near record highs at about $6 per pound — but they emphasize they’re stepping up efforts to make the rail system a harder target.
Steven Martingano, RTD’s chief of police, told Denver7 that copper wire is critical for grounding trains and integrating crossing gate alarms.
“When that copper wire gets removed from our system, there's a trickle-down effect,” Martingano explained. "So they'll send out a maintenance worker. Then they also contact our transit police department.”
Crime
RTD's $6-a-pound problem: How record copper prices have emboldened thieves
These types of thefts can sometimes disrupt rail lines for several hours, causing delays and revenue loss for the agency.
“We have to shut it down. We have to send our crews out there to fix it. The customers who are on those trains are now impacted, as they then have to go onto a bus to get to the next point. " It's a lot of monetary loss for RTD,” Martingano said.
Last month, RTD’s G Line was delayed nearly five hours after thieves stole 14 feet of copper wire, causing 15‑minute rider delays and forcing the agency to deploy bus shuttles. Police set up a search perimeter near the Clear Creek–Federal Station, but no suspects have been found, and detectives are continuing the investigation.
Thefts often happen in concentrated bursts before subsiding — sometimes until a suspect is caught. And Martingano believes that most thefts are locally driven rather than part of larger organized criminal rings.
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“I know a lot of states, they deal more with an organized factor. I believe ours is more locally based. I mean, just based on the observations and the continued patterns that we continue to see, he said.
During the interview, the chief pointed to a recent slowdown in copper thefts, crediting the anti-theft efforts of his department and RTD.
One example is RTD’s newly formed detective team, created specifically to respond to copper thefts and speed up investigations.
RTD also relies on a wide network of surveillance cameras that monitor intersections, stations, and key pieces of infrastructure across the system.
“We have a lot of cameras, and we utilize a lot of that in relation to trying to identify suspects, identifying where their entry and exit points are along the alignment. Are they coming in or from an intersection? Are they coming in through maybe a hole in the fence? You know, those types of things,” he said.
And when the thieves do manage to get past the barriers RTD has put in place and steal wire, they might be surprised when they try to sell it.
RTD says it works closely with local metal recyclers, showing them what RTD’s copper wire looks like so they will be alerted when someone attempts to sell it.
“So the issues we're having along the G line, we've actually gone out with our commuter rail maintenance crews to look at the copper wire that's being bought, and certain metal stores have not matched our copper wire,” he said.
Still, the chief acknowledges arrests have been rare, noting only two suspects have been taken into custody for copper‑theft cases in the past couple of years.
Copper theft is a nationwide problem impacting transit systems across the country, according to Martingano.
While Utah’s transit agency reports far fewer incidents, it too uses targeted surveillance, crime‑pattern analysis, and partnerships with recyclers to thwart thieves.
RTD also warns that trespassing on tracks is dangerous and can lead to electrocution or being struck by a train.
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