Tucson Electric Power is urging local residents to report any suspicious activity around electrical equipment after several instances of tampering caused power outages for thousands of customers. Law enforcement agencies including the Tucson Police Department, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the incidents, which began in mid-January. In each case, tampering with pole-mounted equipment caused power outages and created public safety hazards.
Each incident was caused by someone who tampered with equipment in publicly accessible areas. To help prevent future incidents, TEP and law enforcement authorities are urging anyone who sees suspicious activity near the company’s electrical facilities or finds damaged equipment to call 911.
TEP also is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of suspects in these tampering cases. Witnesses with information about these incidents are encouraged to contact 88-CRIME, the Pima County Attorney’s anonymous tip line, at (520)-882-7463, through 88-CRIME’s mobile app or online at 88crime.org.
