Severed AT&T copper and fiber lines knocked out Oakland’s emergency and dispatch phones for about 36 hours. Police are treating the damage as a crime, and both of the city’s first fallback plans failed.
Oakland’s emergency phone lines are working again. The city has not said why the systems meant to back them up failed, too.
The outage began shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, when Oakland police dispatchers noticed that their computer-aided dispatch system had frozen, Police Chief James Beere said. When they tested the lines, emergency and nonemergency phones, internet service and dispatch software were all down. The Oakland Fire Department’s 911 system went with them.
Just after 9:45 p.m., the city began sending 911 calls to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Oakland dispatchers moved to the fire department’s dispatch center and the sheriff’s center and relayed calls to officers from there. With limited capacity, police answered only Priority 1 calls, those involving violence or an immediate threat to life, KTVU reported.
Dispatch systems came back on Thursday afternoon. City officials said all phone service to city systems was restored at about 8:30 a.m. on Friday, after city and AT&T crews worked through the night, CBS News Bay Area reported.
A crime, police say
Police and AT&T said both copper and fiber-optic lines had been cut, and the department is investigating the damage as a criminal act. Chief Beere said investigators and the department’s intelligence unit had been activated and that the department had contacted the F.B.I. about possible assistance. No arrest had been announced as of Saturday.
“This is a perfect example of theft leading to something far more severe and serious that could result in people losing their lives,” Chief Beere said at a news conference on Thursday.
He suggested that the damage was more than a copper thief’s work. “I would say this is more of a bad actor than vandalism, particularly just because there’s more than one line and the amount of damage that was done,” he said, according to NBC Bay Area.
In a statement to The Inquirer, an AT&T spokesperson said: “9-1-1 service to the Oakland Police Department has been restored following a copper theft and a vandalism-related fiber cut. Calls were successfully rerouted to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office during the outage.”
“Copper theft and vandalism of critical communications infrastructure are serious criminal matters that disrupt services for our customers, public safety, and the community at large,” the statement continued. “We’re actively working with local law enforcement as they are investigating to find those responsible.”
The backups that did not hold
The city has contingency plans for a loss of its 911 lines. “Unfortunately, both the initial fallback plans were compromised,” Chief Beere said, “so we had to fall back on our outside partner, which is the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.” He did not describe what those fallback plans were. The department declined NBC Bay Area’s request for an interview on Friday, citing the active investigation.
Asked by The Inquirer for an update, the Police Department’s media office replied: “As you may be aware, Chief Beere has addressed this issue. We will provide an update when one is available.” It pointed to the chief’s statement on the department’s Facebook page.
The city said in a statement that it would “continue to work with AT&T to harden critical infrastructure and strengthen backup systems,” and thanked the sheriff’s office for its help. Chief Beere told KTVU that he and the fire chief were discussing alternative technologies that do not rely on cables.
Sgt. Roberto Morales of the sheriff’s office said there had been no reported delays because of the disruption, KTVU reported. Councilmember Charlene Wang, who leads the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, said she wanted to know more. “I’m glad we have a backup plan but we need to make sure this isn’t happening because I know many of our constituents rely on the non-emergency line, and we’ll have to see too if there’s any delays in the 911 response time,” she told KTVU.
Mayor Barbara Lee, at Thursday’s news conference, said that “911 is ready for your calls and dispatchers are available.”
The City of Oakland’s public information office and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to The Inquirer’s questions by publication time.
Aging copper, across the region
Oakland was not alone last week. Police in Morgan Hill and Gilroy reported that their nonemergency lines were down after thieves cut copper wire, though 911 service in both cities was not affected, ABC7 reported.
ABC7 noted that many emergency communication systems still rely on aging copper wire. “Currently the 911 technology that is in use is 911 era technology. It is based on copper wiring which is reliable but it is aging and subject to failure,” Mark Chase, a 911 systems expert, told ABC7. The successor, known as Next Generation 911, runs over internet-based networks on fiber.
AT&T said in its statement that “the use of copper cables is declining rapidly. The equipment that supports our copper network is harder to source, so it is difficult to repair or replace the parts when the cables are stolen.” The company said it continues to move customers to fiber and wireless where it can.
The state has tried to choke off the market for stolen metal. Assembly Bill 476, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2025, requires metal recyclers to log the time of each purchase and the employee who handled it, and raises fines for recyclers who buy public property without confirming that the seller is authorized.
AT&T is offering a reward of up to $20,000 in California for information leading to an arrest and conviction in copper cable thefts. The company asked anyone who sees unmarked, non-AT&T vehicles or people cutting and removing cable to report them to the police. Tips can be anonymous and go to local law enforcement and AT&T Global Security at 1-888-871-2622.
Desmond Akers covers the cities and counties of the greater Bay Area, from Oakland and San Jose to the Peninsula, the North Bay and the East Bay suburbs, for Around the Region. More from Desmond Akers
