Sep 22 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Russell Ray Tampa Tribune, Fla.

John Hammerberg drives past a house on a dark street off Nebraska Avenue. He notices that the house lights are on.

Hammerberg, the chief theft investigator for Tampa Electric Co. suspects a crime is under way and returns a few minutes later with two Tampa police officers. Hammerberg is pretty sure the property owner is stealing electricity. Power to the home was cut off in May.

Hammerberg holds a flashlight up to the home's electricity meter and discovers it has been tampered with. Two small copper wires were used to route power back into the home.

"The electricity has probably been on the whole time, for five months," Hammerberg said.

Hammerberg gives the homeowner the bad news. "I'm going to turn off the lights tonight," he says.

The power won't be restored until the homeowner pays the utility about $1,500 for five months of stolen electricity. The homeowner also faces a year of jail time and a $1,000 fine.

Hammerberg is one of a handful of utility company employees in the Tampa Bay area trying to keep a lid on a vexing problem for electric companies: people stealing or bootlegging electricity.

Tampa Electric uncovered 526 cases of electricity theft last year, which represents more than $1 million worth of juice. Tampa Electric officials say they aren't sure just how much power is stolen each year.

"We know there's a lot more out there," Hammerberg said. "We go after what we know is there."

Hammerberg is one of three full-time theft investigators at Tampa Electric. He has been tracking down electricity thieves for the utility for 25 years and has caught people stealing anywhere from $50 to $50,000 worth of juice.

Hammerberg can't arrest violators, but he does carry a firearm and assists police in making hundreds of arrests each year.

"I have been in some knock-down, drag-out fights," he said. "They're just shocked that they could be arrested for stealing electricity."

Stealing power is fairly simple, and there are lots of ways to do it. Anyone who understands the basic principles of electrical wiring -- a concept taught in a high school shop class -- can do it.

Hammerberg has confiscated a wide range of tools used to steal power -- from butter knives and soda cans to pizza cutters and jumper cables.

But bootlegging electricity can be dangerous, experts say.

"It could kill them," Hammerberg said. "I have found evidence where you can see that they shorted something out. I have found tools welded inside a meter socket."

Some thefts are more sophisticated and go undetected for years. They usually involve a customer with an active account.

"They're paying for some of their electricity; they're just not paying for all of it," Hammerberg said. "There's any of a number of ways they can tamper with a meter where it doesn't register all of the electricity that's going into the house."

In a struggling economy hurt by layoffs and high energy prices, the motive for stealing power is generally the same. Some people are down on their luck and can't afford to pay the bill, while others like the challenge of cheating the utility.

"For some people, it's a game," Hammerberg said.

He catches the thieves in a variety of ways, using tips from meter readers, conscientious neighbors or ex-girlfriends. Sometimes it's a computer program that shows something is amiss with a meter that measures power used in a home.

Progress Energy Florida, Central Florida's largest power supplier, investigates about 11,000 cases of theft each year. This year, the utility has looked into more than 6,400 cases, 15 percent more than this time last year, said Maxwell Wright, head of Revenue Protection for the St. Petersburg-based utility.

Higher electric bills and the weakening economy have probably contributed to the increase in theft, Wright said. "It's pretty widespread," he said.

Although Tampa Electric and Progress Energy can't say how much power is stolen each year, the industry estimates the stolen power is equivalent to 1 percent to 3 percent of a utility's annual revenues.

For Tampa Electric, that amounts to $22 million a year. For Progress Energy Florida, the loss would be $47 million a year.

Nationwide, the industry estimates people steal about $6 billion worth of electricity each year.

But honest customers are footing the bill for that stolen power because most utilities are guaranteed a certain rate of return and are allowed to increase their rates to cover losses resulting from theft.

"The main reason we're in place is to help identify and stop the theft of electric service so that we can help keep rates lower for our law-abiding rate payers," Wright said.

Last year, Tampa Electric recovered $710,000 from power thieves, down from $744,000 in 2006.

The biggest and best power thieves are those who grow large amounts of marijuana inside a house. In many cases, the growers will pay a licensed electrician as much as $15,000 to bypass the home's electric meter, Hammerberg said.

These indoor marijuana farms require large amounts of power for high-powered lights, fans and pumps. Electricity theft from a single marijuana grow house can range from $20,000 to $30,000 over three months, Hammerberg said.

"They're stealing an unbelievable amount of electricity," he said. "Some of the electrical work is beautiful and very professional. Some of it is really shoddy and dangerous."

In the last 18 months, Progress Energy Florida has assisted police in disconnecting power to more than 100 marijuana grow houses that were using stolen power, Wright said.

Sometimes, shutting off the electricity to struggling households can be troubling, Hammerberg said.

For example, last week, he had to shut off power to a house where five kids and their mother were living. The father was taken to jail on an unrelated arrest warrant.

"I'm not happy about it," he said. "I really felt for this lady."

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com.

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