Over the weekend, vandals—who apparently knew their way around electricity—vandalized the electrical work being done on a police precinct in St. Louis.
The electrical work was being done by a non-union subcontractor.
The IBEW is, of course, denying having any knowledge about the incident.
County officials say the culprits disconnected electricity inside the building before targeting a circuit box, wiring and cables installed by a subcontractor. Spools of wire were also missing when the incident was discovered Saturday morning.
The vandals ignored the plumbing, carpentry and other areas of construction, said St. Louis County Chief Operating Officer Garry Earls.
Nor were any other tools or materials stolen.
“I can’t tell you I know who did this,” Earls said. “But whoever it was knew to cut the wires beforehand so they wouldn’t get electrocuted. This was not just some hoodlum walking down the street.”
The nonunion subcontractor, St. Louis Electric Inc., caused members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1 to briefly picket the job site earlier this year.
Frank Jacobs, business manager for IBEW 1, said his organization had no role in the destruction of property or theft of the wiring at the $1.7 million construction project.
Read the full story here.
[Emphasis added.]
