Thieves broke into East Point municipal buildings multiple times in recent weeks, costing the south Fulton County city tens of thousands of dollars in losses, Channel 2 Action News reported.
In the last week alone, the thieves targeted East Point Power, the municipal electrical system, and stole from seven trucks of the utility. Surveillance video shows the suspects unspooling copper wiring from one of the trucks.
Police believe the burglars cut through a fence to get into city-owned property around 2 or 3 a.m.
In another incident, someone walked through the front gate of the municipal complex and took chainsaws and blowers and broke into a vending machine, police said.
Six break-ins have occurred in the past month at the city’s power, fleet maintenance, meter and sanitation departments, police said. The three most recent break-ins cost the city $20,000 in total losses.
Investigators believe multiple groups are behind the heists.
“We are increasing our checks around there and we are doing everything we can to catch these individuals,” Lt. Cliff Chandler of the East Point Police Department told Channel 2.
“The vehicles that have been damaged have to be repaired, the fencing around the locations have to be repaired. Right now, it’s a very significant loss to the city,” Chandler said.
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