Eau Claire Deputy Chief Eric Larsen says as a result of the undercover investigation, officers found stolen items at Toy’s Scrap and Salvage, Spickler Recycling, and Max Phillips and Son.

CLICK HERE to read the application for search warrant.

Those items included a stolen vehicle, railroad switch wire and copper wire stolen from Xcel Energy.

Here’s an exact list:

Investigators who conducted searches at five area scrap metal recyclers yesterday recovered the following items of stolen property at the below specified locations. These items were positively identified as stolen property either because they were labeled with the owner’s identity, the owners positively identified them as their property and they had not given permission to sell it, or investigation information showed that they could be linked to a specific theft report.

Toys Scrap and Salvage, Inc.:
-One stolen vehicle
-Three stolen catalytic converters, one of which had the serial number ground off
-Railroad switch signal wire

Spickler Recycling:
-Two stolen beer kegs
-Utility grade copper ground wire
-Underground power distribution line used exclusively by Xcel energy
-Power substation copper ground wire
-Aluminum power transmission line
Xcel Energy aluminum utility pulleys
-Copper overhead power distribution line

Max Phillips:
-Railroad switch signal wire

No property was seized from Cooley’s Statewide Scrap or U-Can Recycling.

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In addition to recovered stolen property the following property was located and documented but not collected.

Cooley’s Statewide Scrap:
-A large box of railroad switch signal wire already chopped into pieces

Toy’s Scrap and Salvage:
-New 4 foot spools of approximately ½” diameter aluminum wire
-Railroad switch signal wire
-Railroad rail
-Large quantities of new copper wire removed from the spool

Spickler Recycling:
-Large bins of wire with insulation burned off

Max Phillips:
-Railroad switch signal wire
-Railroad rail

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In addition to the stolen or suspicious property found at the sites, Wisconsin Department of Transportation inspectors found evidence of hundreds of violation of regulations regarding the purchase of junk vehicles at Cooley’s Statewide Scrap, Toy’s Scrap and Salvage, and Max Phillips & Son’s. The search warrants were issued after seven months of undercover investigation. During that investigation undercover investigators sold metal to each of these recyclers. Several transactions were completed at each scrap yard under circumstances that should have indicated to employees that the metal was stolen. Eau Claire police met with each of these businesses in April of this year to explain the impact metal theft has on public safety and the new reporting requirements under Act 64. Several of the undercover transactions were completed at each of the sites after the meeting, yet only two phone calls were made to report suspicious activity; one from U-Can recycling and one from Max Phillips.

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Some scrap yards say there needs to be more communication between businesses and law enforcement agencies so they can work together to end the thievery.

And some businesses who have had scrap stolen, say they're glad the police are being proactive.

Xcel Spokesperson Brian Elwood says copper thieves are putting it all on the line to try and make a buck.

"There's really no limit to what people are trying to do to steal copper. We see them stealing it from distribution poles. We see them stealing it from transformers,” says Elwood.

He says they'll even rip the meters off your house. Elwood says when people tamper with live wires, their taking a chance with their lives.

"Energized equipment should never be tampered with. It's very, very dangerous and it's very deadly,” he says.

And the more copper wire is stolen, the more we all have to pay.

"Certainly anytime you steal copper, it's like shoplifting. And those costs are born by the rest of our rate payers,” says Elwood.

He says the company has an aggressive security system in place to try and stop the thieves.

"The overall goal is to hopefully gain compliance, better compliance, from the metal recyclers and scrap yards who are taking in property,” says Eau Claire Police Deputy Chief Eric Larsen.

Elwood says if you see anyone tampering with utility equipment, even if they may not being trying to steal something, you should immediately call the police.