RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) – It’s a shocking way to stop the copper theft crime-wave – a 7,000-volt electric security fence.

The Rancho Cordova City Council voted Monday night to draft an ordinance allowing businesses to put up electric security fences that will zap would-be copper thieves.

Sam Matsoyan of MP Auto Parts said Monday he can’t wait to install it around his Rancho Cordova business.

“It’ll be a little fun to watch one of these guys get electrocuted holding my fence trying to rob me,” he said.

His laughter said it all. This has become personal for Sam after copper and aluminum thieves have cost his business big time.

“We’ve been doing this for 12 years and it’s been a persistent issue for all 12 years,” he said.

Barbed wire fencing isn’t cutting it, guard dogs haven’t worked and neither has a security system. But the electric fence idea has Sam amped up.

“It’ll be very effective,” he said. “I mean, nobody wants to get jolted.”

It’s a split-second jolt designed to make criminals bolt. What’s the shock feel like?

“It’s a memorable experience,” an electric fence manufacturer said.

It’s one designed to force criminals to make a run for it before they can steal.

Now, you’d expect the company that makes the fence to call it “incredibly effective.”

The City Council agrees. Council members granted unanimous approval to pass a new ordinance making these currently illegal fences legal in their city.

“I think it’s going to have a significant effect,” Sam said.

Sam believes it could be a powerful deterrent that gives his gives his business a better shot at success – and would-be criminals the shock of their lives.