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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2008 /  Copper capers

by Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published February 29, 2008

Robert Delaney | The Michigan Catholic Msgr. Michael LeFevre points to where a copper eaves trough and flashing, plus a section of downspout, were stolen from the St. Benedict School gym in Highland Park in early February. Thefts of copper and other metals are costing the Archdiocese of Detroit hundreds of thousands of dollars in repair costs, he told a state Senate committee hearing last Friday.

Detroit — High prices being paid for scrap copper and some other metals are resulting in high costs for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as thieves vandalize both closed and open Church properties.

At St. Benedict Parish in Highland Park, on Feb. 18, "they stole the downspouts off the rectory, and the week before they got the copper flashing from the gym, and they've also stolen downspouts off the convent building," said Msgr. Michael LeFevre, pastor of the parish and other three cluster partners in adjoining areas of Detroit.

Msgr. LeFevre talked about the problem last Friday before testifying as archdiocesan representative before a hearing on a state Senate bill that would tighten regulations on scrap metal dealers.

The proposed legislation was prompted by a wave of copper thefts that has followed record high prices on scrap copper. But it is not just copper that it is demand – scrap aluminum and even steel is fetching high prices.

"At St. Gregory Parish, all the aluminum appliances were stolen out of the gym kitchen last summer," Msgr. LeFevre continued. St. Gregory is also a member of the cluster, as is Madonna Parish and the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

"The good thing at the cathedral is that the eaves troughs and downspouts are all hidden behind the stonework, though the bad thing is that makes them very expensive to repair," he added.

At Madonna Parish, nothing has been stolen off the buildings, but thieves cut the catalytic converter from under the parish van. Catalytic converters, an anti-pollution device, are valued for the small amount of platinum they contain. Although generally out of sight, a catalytic converter's absence is soon felt, Msgr. LeFevre said: "You start your car, and you think there's a bomb blowing up under you."

But the damage has been especially costly at some of the closed church and school buildings owned by the archdiocese. Thieves steal not only copper from the buildings' exterior, but copper wiring and plumbing fixtures from inside, as well as other valuable metal objects.

An estimated $400,000 in damage has been done to the former East Catholic High School building (originally St. Anthony High School) on Detroit's east side. But the cost to actually put the building in shape so it could be sold is estimated at $666,000, Msgr. LeFevre said.

About a quarter of a million dollars in damage has been done to the former buildings of St. Rita Parish, which closed last year, he continued.

At Martyrs of Uganda Church on the near west side, which closed in 2005, damage to date is put at $70,000, while it would cost $84,000 to get it ready to sell, Msgr. LeFevre said. Damage from radiator thefts at the former St. Vincent Middle School building on 14th Street near the old train station in Detroit is put at almost $20,000, but the cost of putting the building right will likely be considerably more, he added.

Ultimately, the cost of all this is borne by the Catholic faithful, because the archdiocese is self-insured through the Michigan Catholic Conference, which manages insurance plans and employee-benefit plans for all seven Michigan dioceses.

Fr. Ed Zaorski, pastor of a three-parish cluster in southwest Detroit, said he considered it fortunate they were able to get the copper Stations of the Cross out of St. John Cantius Church, which closed last year, before thieves had a chance to steal them.

The set of stations, now installed in a suburban church, were made about 100 years ago in Slovakia, he said.

Fr. Anthony Richter, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in southwest Detroit, has had to cope with thefts and attempted break-ins since becoming pastor in July 2005.

"They stole the copper downspouts off the church, the eaves troughs off the rectory, the aluminum canopies off the side doors of the rectory and the hall, some vent grates off the school, and the air-conditioning compressor off the rectory," Fr. Richter said.

Although the thieves were always long gone before the damage to parish buildings was discovered, Fr. Richter caught metal thieves in the act of ripping aluminum siding off a commercial building across the street from the church.

"I walked toward them to confront them, and they sped off in their van. They hadn't closed the rear doors, so most of their load fell out when they turned the corner a block away," he recounted.

Not only did Fr. Richter call the police, but he went above and beyond the call of citizen duty. Figuring the thieves were probably headed for the nearest scrap yard, he and David Rivera, who works at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, drove over there to find the thieves just leaving.

They followed them at a distance, and used a cell phone to call the police again with the street address of the culprits.

"I was just so mad at what had been done to us that I wasn't going to let it happen to anyone else if I could help it," Fr. Richter said.

Fr. Richter praised the efforts of Detroit Police Cmdr. Todd Bettison to crack down on metal thefts. "He has been instrumental in doing things to make it hard to sell this stuff," Fr. Richter said, adding, however, that there is not much city police can do under current law if the thieves go to scrap dealers outside the city limits.

Bettison was among those who testified at last Friday's hearing on the legislation, which was proposed by state Sen. Buzz Thomas, D-Detroit. The legislation mandates tighter inventory control, regulates hours of operation and sets reporting requirements.

Responding to a scrap dealers' spokesman who said he didn't think the police would really want to receive stacks of reports (of sales transactions) every Monday morning, Bettison said, "We'd be pleased to get stacks of reports every Monday morning."

He added that thefts of copper cables is affecting the operations of utilities and railroads.

Fr. Jerry Smith, OFM Cap., director of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, told the hearing of the thefts of refrigeration and air conditioning units from their food distribution center last year, causing a scramble to find alternate refrigeration space to keep meat from spoiling.

Spokesmen for AT&T said thefts of copper cable have not only affected land-line telephone service, but also cellular service, because some of the thefts have been of copper cable that services cell towers.