LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Clark County is placing stickers on street light poles that read “Notice: Aluminum Wire Only” as part of a multimillion-dollar effort to combat copper wire theft, leaving hundreds of neighborhoods in the dark.
The stickers mark poles where stolen copper wire has been replaced with aluminum wire in hopes thieves will not break into the poles again.
Copper wire theft became a problem during the pandemic, with thieves stealing copper from streetlights to resell it to scrap yards. Commissioner Michael Naft said the county is doing everything it can to stop the thefts.
County maintains 65,000 street poles
“In Clark County, we’ve got 65,000 street poles from Bunkerville to Laughlin that we maintain,” Naft said. “They are taking our copper wire that belongs to the taxpayers. They are leaving us in the dark. And it is endlessly frustrating.”
Naft views copper wire theft as one of the county’s biggest challenges.
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“If you see two, three, four lights and a string that are out, that’s likely a copper wire theft,” Naft said.
The thefts have required millions of dollars’ worth of repairs.
“We haven’t sat back and watched it happen,” Naft said. “We have invested millions of dollars into quickly contracting out work to as quickly as possible get around the valley to repair and replace this copper wire.”
County adds extra shift of electricians
The county is now in Phase 2 of the $3 million Wire Theft Replacement Project and has added an extra shift of electricians to make repairs. That means three shifts a day.
But even with additional manpower, there is a problem trying to make repairs quickly. There is a shortage of materials.
“We’re not the only jurisdiction out there that is suffering from this crime,” Naft said.
The county’s goal is to stop the need for repair work by stopping the thefts.
“We’re looking at ways that we can actually prevent this from happening,” Naft said.
County passes ordinance, welds caps shut
“We’ve passed an ordinance here in the county that makes it tougher for criminals to illegally sell… that stolen copper wire,” Naft said. “But we have also done things like welded shut the caps where they’re just popping them open and stealing these from. We have looked where it’s applicable into solar. And one of the newer things that we have done is where it’s possible, we have turned to aluminum wire. And we have effectively marked the street poles to indicate that there’s no copper here. Don’t bother breaking in because you’re not going to get anything out of it.”
Not only does the county’s Public Works department have three shifts throughout the day and night, Clark County is also subcontracting work out to get repairs done quickly. The county is also installing wiring overhead instead of underground to make access more difficult.
“It’s why we also continue to call on the public to report it when you might see signs of copper wire theft,” Naft said. “If you see that a cap at the bottom of a street pole has been popped open and it’s getting ready for someone to pull it. that is something that you can and should call 911 and report and our police department will get after it very effectively.”
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