More than 100 Manhole Covers Stolen, Costly To Taxpayers
City officials suspect thieves steal the 150 pound covers and hide them in cars headed for the junk yard to weigh them down.
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It costs taxpayers $100 to replace a single manhole cover. Then add on labor and the time it takes to replace it and you're looking at an extra $400 of taxpayer money down the drain. Video by kmtv.com
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Omaha, NE - Metal and copper thieves are at it again, pillaging public property trying to make a quick buck. But they're also putting your family at risk.
It costs taxpayers $100 to replace a single manhole cover. Then add on labor and the time it takes to replace it and you're looking at an extra $400 of taxpayer money down the drain.
In September alone, KMTV Action 3 News found 15 police reports of stolen covers and grates. In August, more than 30 of them were recorded stolen. Total from November of last year to now, more than 100 have been stolen. It's costing taxpayers hundreds of dollars per cover to replace, let alone the dangers of an uncapped hole. "I just woke up in the back of her car, and my chin was gushing out blood and I got eight stitches," said injured 16-year-old Cole Fitzgerald last year.
Last year, KMTV Action 3 News met a teen who wrecked his bike over an uncapped manhole. It left him with a broken wrist, cut chin and beat up body. Recent reports haven't left anyone else as banged up but that's not to say it can't happen.
Many covers and grates stolen are located in north and northeast Omaha near Corby, Fontenelle Boulevard, North 17th Street, 45th Street, and Fowler. But sewer maintenance says thieves are taking them from all over Douglas and Sarpy county. "It's been reaching epidemic proportions here," said City of Omaha Sewer Maintenance official Craig Christians.
City officials suspect thieves steal the 150 pound covers and hide them in cars headed for the junk yard to weigh them down. The heavier the car, the more money you get. Financially, the city needs these thieves caught. "We didn't budget to have 300 manhole covers stolen this year," said Christians.
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