Community Corner
Westside Copper Wire Thieves Sought by City Attorney
More than 100 copper wire theft incidents have been reported in City Council District 5 since last July.
Surveillance video was released Tuesday in hopes of finding two men who stole copper wire from a city streetlight.
"We should be outraged when vandals and thieves come into our neighborhoods in the middle of the night to rip apart and steal public property," Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said. "My great hope in releasing this video is that someone who recognizes these two will call, so we can question them about what they were doing."
The video was provided to authorities by a resident, and it shows two men walking up to a streetlight on Oct. 5, 2012, in West Los Angeles. A short time later, the light goes dark, and the men walk away, their shadows reflected in a parked car.
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Watch video of the suspected thieves attached to this article.
In City Council District 5, where the videotaped theft took place, there have been more than 100 reported copper wire theft incidents since last July, according to Councilman Paul Koretz's office.
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Field Deputy Sarah Mallory, from Koretz’s office, warned the Westwood Neighborhood Council earlier this month of the copper wire theft. She said most of the incidents occur in residential areas.
In Fiscal Year 2011-2012, the city spent $1.1 million on copper wire replacement and property damage repair. Anyone who knows about copper wire thefts was urged to call Crime Stoppers, 800-222-TIPS. Tipsters may be eligible for reward money.
—Patch editor Meredith Skrzypczak contributed to this report.
