Peco finds tampered meters in theft sweep

A box fan whirled yesterday in a second-floor window of an Upper Darby rowhouse. But the electric meter attached to the rear of the house measured not a single watt - the meter had been crudely disabled.

"That could be booby-trapped or something," said Johnnie Poole, the Peco Energy Co. technician who discovered the tampered meter, whose metal housing was twisted like a tin can opened with a knife, and scorched on the edges.

The occupants declined to answer the door. So at 11 a.m., on one of the hottest days of the year, Poole ascended in a bucket crane and cut the overhead wires connecting the Woodcliffe Road house to the grid.

And that is how the house's occupant, Delise Mumford, got snared in a Peco sweep to detect theft of service. Peco says it is trying to send a message that meter-tampering is dangerous, and will not be tolerated.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Mumford cried later in her darkened home.

Yesterday was the third time this year she had been cut off. Peco terminated her service in May and again in July for nonpayment; it says she owes more than $14,000 and has failed to fulfill multiple payment arrangements.

She offered several explanations for how the meter became tampered.

Michael Wood, a Peco spokesman, said: "Theft is not an option for those who have difficulty paying electric bills."

Peco says the primary purpose of such sweeps is public safety - customers desperate for power often rig connections using automotive jumper cables or household wires that can overload and catch fire. A 2007 West Philadelphia blaze that killed Cornellry Robinson, 25, and her four children was attributed to an illegal hookup.

But the 11-person crew's other aim is also reflected in its name - the Revenue Protection Unit. Last year, the unit recovered $1.8 million in delinquent bills and collected $150,000 in theft fees.

John Kratzinger, the unit's supervisor, said he "absolutely" believed that more customers were stealing power as the economy goes sour.

"We're getting more reports to our hotline," he said. (Customers can call in anonymous tips at 1-866-414-1854.)

Peco terminated more delinquent customers early in the season this year than last.

"We're changing customer behavior by being more aggressive," Wood said. The result is a 7 percent decline this year in delinquencies. About 271,000 of Peco's 1.6 million customers are in arrears.

The theft-of-service sweep was the fifth such campaign conducted this year. Some have uncovered rampant theft. An inspection of 25 Feltonville houses in Philadelphia found 11 illegal hookups.

Yesterday's inspection of 125 customers in the Bywood and Stonehurst sections of Upper Darby uncovered only five blatant thefts. Technicians also investigated 61 gas meters, repairing six small leaks and uncovering one potentially lethal carbon monoxide buildup.

With temperatures rising above 90 yesterday, electric technician Ralph Colon glistened with sweat as he hauled a heavy canvas bag of tools and parts down an alley behind the 300 block of Wembly Road, looking for tampered meters.

Colon wore heavy gloves and two layers of fire-retardant shirts to shield himself from the sparks that sometimes fly when he removes a tampered meter.

A 25-year veteran, Colon worked previously in the emergency-response unit, where he was treated as the heroic repairman. "In this new job, customers are not so glad to see me," he said.

All the meters on the block were in good condition, except one where service had been illegally restored.

Under state law, Colon could shut off service immediately. But Peco issued a heat alert yesterday and ordered shutoffs only of unsafe hookups. The Wembly Street house posed no risk, just a threat to Peco's bottom line.

"Lost revenue," said Colon, who left a note giving the customer 72 hours to restore the account to good standing. "I've got to stop the bleeding."