Thieves Steal 15 Metal Storm Grates in Calif. City

Officials in Union City, Calif., have dealt with theft before, but they've rarely had to deal with people stealing storm drain grates.

“People are coming out in the middle of the night, prying them up and are stealing them,” Cmdr. Ben Horner of the Union City Police told CBS San Francisco.

A total of 15 metal grates have been stolen in the past three weeks, according to city officials.

“To date, we haven’t had any accidents,” said Horner, referring to the gaping holes the thefts have left behind. “But one of the reasons we want to put out the message was so that parents, cyclists, and pedestrians would be on the lookout, so they don’t fall into one.”

The majority of the thefts have occurred in the city’s industrial center.

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The thefts are a strain on the city's time and money. For instance, when 20 grates were stolen in Vallejo, Calif., last year, it cost the city $350 to replace each one.

And then there is the time it takes to replace the covers.

“[T]hey have to shut down what they are doing, pull away to come out here, find out what size the grate is, go get the replacement, put it back in,” Ray Fitch of city’s public works department said referring to the man-hours it takes to replace each stolen grate. “So it’s a significant amount of time.”

But what’s truly puzzling is the fact that the 100 lbs. grates are only worth about $10-$20. Seems like an awful lot of work for no payoff, right?

“The DA’s office is so sick and tired of these crimes that they take it very seriously and they hammer them when they catch them,” said Horner.