Puyallup, Washington is a city of 37,000 people, 10 miles southeast of Tacoma and 35 miles south of Seattle. The Native American name means “the generous people”. The city interprets this with a motto “working to be your community of choice”. Tragically, not everybody thinks that way including a gang of battery thieves.
Puyallup Battery Thieves Threaten 911 Calls in a Storm
Every time a hurricane, tornado or extreme weather event assaults the United States, we give thanks for our emergency services. Nowadays we rely almost entirely on mobile to call the authorities for help if we are in trouble
We are distressed to hear that battery thieves are robbing Puyallup cell phone towers of their back-up batteries. We cannot understand how they can stoop so low as to wear reflective safety gear, while they are breaking off locks and sawing through steel doors to get to the batteries inside.
Police Say the Remote Locations Lend Themselves to This
The cell tower batteries are the last resort in the event of a grid failure. They become the only medium of communication for people with heart problems, and children facing up to abuse of various kinds.
Local residents Roger and Theresa Smith told KIRO 7 reporter Gary Horcher “Those are the kind of people who don’t care about anything but themselves. If they see an opportunity to get something and make some money, they’re going to take it.” This is a sad tale of heartless human greed.
We should become more aware of things happening around us as concerned citizens. In the most recent incident, battery thieves broke into a power supply box and stole batteries weighing 40 pounds each. Please do not try to intervene if you see a similar incident. Call the police; they will know what to do and hopefully catch the thieves red-handed.
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Preview Image: 2015 Puyallup Cares Day
