Criminals in several states are turning to stealing copper wiring from light poles and even taking historic light posts in one city as police, city officials, and some lawmakers are working to thwart future thefts.
In Pasadena, California, nearly a dozen of its century-old bronze light posts were stolen over a several-day period.
The Pasadena Police Department reported it had four occurrences involving the stolen city’s historic bronze street lamps, which date back to the 1920s.
“Poles are being stolen by either backing a vehicle into them to jar them loose or as in the most recent incident, tying a chain to the pole from behind a vehicle and pulling it off the foundation,” Pasadena Police Department Spokeswoman Lisa Derderian told The Epoch Times. “But in this most recent incident they were unsuccessful because a resident observed what was going on and called the police department.”
Ms. Derderian said there is not an easy way to “vandal-proof” the light posts, adding they are difficult to replace.
“Since these poles are historic, they are difficult to find so we’ve been replacing them with replicas which cost about $1,600, and we estimate the scrap value of what is being stolen to be approximately $400 per pole,” Ms. Derderian said.
Pasadena’s light poles illuminate Orange Grove Blvd. every 30 feet, and Ms. Derderian said the stretch of the street is well known for where floats line up for the annual Rose Parade.
A total of 11 poles were stolen within four days mostly between midnight and 4 a.m. within a few-mile radius.
Pasadena is not the only city dealing with such crimes. Las Vegas, St. Paul, Louisville, Wichita, and Tampa are among the cities that have reported copper wire thefts, costing taxpayers upward of $1 million in some instances.
In some cities, thousands of light posts have been affected, causing alarm among residents walking on dark streets and motorists driving along dark highways.
In Louisville, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is doing what it can to apprehend the thieves and repair the highway lights. But some spans of highway are targeted soon after they are repaired.
A previous $2,500 reward has now been doubled to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for stealing the highway-lighting copper wire.
KYTC Spokesman Allen Blair told The Epoch Times that the agency has partnered with the Louisville Metro Police Department and collaborated on a media event to remind the public of the reward.
“KYTC has installed cameras at various interchanges to aid law enforcement in identifying perpetrators of these crimes,” Mr. Blair said. “A pilot program to test solar lighting at two Jefferson County interchanges is planned to begin this summer.”
Copper wiring has been stolen from nearly 1,400 lights at dozens of highway interchanges in Kentucky since 2020, costing taxpayers nearly $1 million in repairs.
“Thefts have taken place across numerous spans along all major interstates, with the Louisville Metro area experiencing a severe impact from these crimes. Approximately 25 interchanges (nearly 1,400 lights) in Jefferson County are currently inoperable due to the heist, with several spans being targeted shortly after undergoing repairs,” said Kentucky Department of Highways Chief Engineer Matt Bullock in prepared remarks. “Our effort to restore lighting at some locations has been counterproductive as thieves tend to target the same interchange.”
Mr. Bullock pointed out that the safety of motorists is at risk in addition to the cost to taxpayers for the repairs.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, copper wire theft has become so rampant in recent months that the city has already spent more than $1 million to repair them.
Two city lawmakers recently introduced legislation, HF 4461, to combat the crime by requiring a state license to sell copper in the state. All copper sales must include complete accounts of the metal, including the vehicle and license plate used by the person delivering the scrap metal. The seller also must sign a statement that the metal is not stolen, according to the legislation.
Officials in Las Vegas in Clark County, Nevada, are also grappling with recurring copper wiring theft from light posts and working with scrap metal collectors to make sure they don’t purchase the stolen metal. One official told a local media outlet that people are stealing $100 worth of metal, costing the county $5,000 to replace it.
Clark County is now installing aluminum wiring on the vandalized poles and putting it overhead instead of underground.
Los Angeles and Clark County have also created copper theft task forces to crack down on the thefts and streetlight outages.
