DETROIT --
A copper thief was caught in the act of vandalizing Detroit Firehouse No. 42 on Chicago and Stoepel roads early Tuesday morning.
The Detroit police commander from the Copper Theft Task Force, Todd Bettison told Local 4 that the firefighters have experienced delayed response times due to a repeat copper thief.
Investigators said they are not sure if there is more than one copper thief because they have been hit numerous times.
The copper pipes that supply the water used to extinguish fires and the copper lines that open the automatic bay doors have been damaged.
Bettison said every second counts when responding to a 911 call, and lately the firefighters have had to manually open the doors to allow the trucks to exit, which has slowed down their response time.
Police said they caught the theft suspect in the act around 4 a.m. after they put the firehouse under surveillance.
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