Arrests made in metal theft crackdown 82724 photo courtesy LA City Council Dist. 2
A crackdown on metal theft In the East San Fernando Valley. Several arrests were made. Also, citations were issued at eight recycling businesses. Los Angeles City officials made the announcement last week at a news conference. A specialized task force funded by Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian’s office was heavily involved in the police action.
The focus — North Hollywood
Krekorian’s office is in North Hollywood. That area has been hit hard by metal theft, including copper wire stripped from city street lights and other public infrastructure.
“The individual thief may pocket $50 for a single theft of material that the recycler sells for thousands of dollars,“ Council President Krekorian reportedly stated at the conference. “But the cost to the public for repairing the damage runs into the hundreds of thousands. The copper wire recovered in the last three operations has a resale value of $39,900 but cost the City half a million in damage and repair costs. Thefts like this have cost the City over $24 million in a single five-year period.”
“Theft and vandalism have increased substantially in the past five years. When thieves steal copper from Caltrans electrical infrastructure, it creates a safety issue for motorists who use traffic systems such as overhead signs, lights and meters to navigate. This also can flood freeways when pumps fail during rain,” said Caltrans District 7 Director Gloria Roberts. “Caltrans is installing heavy-duty, tamper-resistant doors, fencing and security cameras at communications hubs and heavy-duty doors at pump houses. We thank the Los Angeles Police Department Cargo Theft Unit, the detectives, and Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian for their efforts in recovering our assets.”
In the last three operations in North Hollywood, LAPD reportedly recovered 1,668 pounds of stolen copper wire and hundreds of pounds of aluminum cable and backup batteries for roadway safety systems.
