Copper theft continued to cripple Los Angeles infrastructure, causing telecommunications and utilities to halt, leaving thousands of dollars in damage per incident, and city and county leaders and law enforcement officials appealed to the state to impose harsher penalties on criminals.
Of the 6,000 copper theft cases nationwide in late 2024, roughly a third of cases occurred in California, according to data from Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office.
“Bad actors steal the wrapped copper cables, burn them to remove the cover and burn them to reveal the raw copper inside,” Bonta said. “The copper is usually sold to metal dealers, some of which are willing to accept important goods without knowing their origin.”
Los Angeles’ sixth street bridge has been repeatedly targeted by burglars stealing copper wiring that runs the LED lighting system for miles. In another incident, the metal parts were pulled away from Caltrans’s property, resulting in a loss of $150,000 in the city.
Los Angeles officials and business leaders are well aware of the troubled issues, they said in a roundtable discussion with Bonta on Thursday, but they reiterated that the problem appears to be criminals thinking “the outcome is worth it.”
“What happened to those arrests? When you’re under current law, nothing really happens to people,” LA County Sheriff Robert Luna expressed his frustration. “The lack of accountability is not there when it comes to theft, if it is perceived or realistic.”
An LA official said another layer of issue is reselling stolen metal yards of illegal scrap metal, avoiding the consequences.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said there are plenty of resellers throughout the county that burglars can choose, while his office chases scrap metal dealers and closes businesses.
“Los Angeles is one of 87 cities and has 125 corporate areas in LA County alone.
LAPD’s Heavy Metal Task Force has pushed city efforts to stop and prevent metal theft, but has also agreed that a stronger message should be sent by the state government.
“If you keep working in this activity, your business will be at risk,” said Alan Hamilton, deputy director of LAPD.
In response to pleas and complaints, Bonta has issued a law enforcement bulletin summarizing state laws related to copper theft and regulation to request copper wire theft and report of receipts, purchases and sales.
Many copper theft or resale crimes are considered “wobble crimes” that can be classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor. So that judges and prosecutors can decide whether to claim copper thief as a felony;
Telecommunications companies are also affected by copper theft and repair costs, so AT&T announced Thursday it will offer a reward of up to $20,000 for specific, detailed information that leads to arrests and convictions of copper cable theft or attempts or purchase of stolen copper cables throughout California.
Spectrum also said it offers a reward of up to $25,000 to help find and arrest people behind vandalism and copper theft. For more information, please click here.
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