APS Reminds Public of Electricity's Dangers

February 13, 2008

Phoenix, AZ  -   In the wake of a recent copper theft at one of its facilities, APS reminds the public that tampering with its electrical equipment is a felony - and it also can be deadly.

On Feb. 1, security cameras captured three men burglarizing an APS location. The video depicts two men scaling the wall and cutting copper ground wire from electric equipment, while the third man stayed in a vehicle parked in an adjacent parking lot. All three were apprehended by Phoenix Police after causing an estimated $10,000 in damage to APS' facility.

"Whatever the motivation, we implore people to stay away from electrical equipment," said Jan Bennett, Senior Vice President of Energy Delivery for APS. "A single contact with electricity can result in severe injury or even death. Quite frankly, the two men who burglarized our facility are fortunate to have come out uninjured."

As of year-end 2006, 15 states had reported fatalities resulting from break-ins to electric facilities. In addition to the potential individual safety risk, tampering with electric equipment can result in outages that affect thousands of customers. In 2007, the Arizona Legislature passed a law that requires scrap metal dealers to keep records for at least two years of any transaction exceeding $25.

APS asks everyone to stay clear of all electric facilities, including substations, power poles and wires. Never assume a power line is de-energized. Anyone encountering a downed power line is asked to call 911 or APS at (602) 371-7171.

In the event someone witnesses anyone tampering with electric equipment or other suspicious activity around APS facilities, call the nearest law enforcement agency. It is important to note that in the incident described above, at least one of the men was wearing utility-branded apparel.

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electric utility, serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state's 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the largest subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE:PNW).

Damon Gross
(602) 250-2269