Boyle Heights faces safety concerns as copper-wire theft soars

Copper wire theft on the rise

In 2023, LA city reported about 6,842 cases of copper wire theft, resulting in neighborhoods being left in the dark and posing a significant threat to public safety, officials said. Even the Sixth Street Bridge was hit, leaving portions of it dark, as well.

LOS ANGELES - Margarita Amador is a community activist, but she's not happy about one thing in her Boyle Heights community: the uptick in copper-wire theft.

She says it's making her feel very unsafe when certain streetlights will not come on because the wire in them has been stripped and stolen for cash at a recycling center.

Amador says she is worried about possibly becoming a victim of crime, like a possible assault, shooting or a stabbing incident. She says it’s what she dreads every night when she can’t rely on her neighborhood streetlights.

"This issue has been escalating at an alarming rate. Just five years ago, we were dealing with 500 to 600 cases on an annual basis," said Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de León.

de León adds that number has skyrocketed to more than 6,700 cases with repair costs going more than $17 million.

On the 6th Street Bridge, de León says seven miles of wiring have been ripped off. The councilman explained a thief can get roughly about $11,000. The taxpayers are bearing the brunt of the cost to the tune of $2.5 million in replacement and installation.

"Thieves are literally picking our city apart for parts to sell for scraps," de León said.

He said enough is enough and it is time for action – de León is taking $400,000 from his discretionary budget to start a task force, joining LAPD and the city attorney’s office as a pilot program for the rest of the city.

He and Councilmember Traci Park are establishing a citywide reward program. Park says this problem affects everyone.

"That impact crime, traffic, pedestrian safety," Park adds.

According to Hollenbeck Division in the last year, there were 345 calls for service just to the bridge for copper-wire theft and 11 people were arrested.

For LAPD’s Captain Celina Robles and Officer Johnny Altamirano, that means not just going after the thief but also monitoring the recycling or those purchasing the wiring from the bad guys.

The crackdown against copper-wire thieves could not come soon enough for Amador.

"As long as they keep buying it, they’re going to keep taking it," she said.