LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Clark County is creating a copper theft task force to crack down on criminals and create a reward program to report crimes as the Valley deals with hundreds of thefts of copper from streetlights.
The city of Los Angeles announced the creation of its own task force last week after dealing with millions of dollars in thefts and thousands of street light outages.
Chair Tick Segerblom said that Clark County will create its own large-scale task force, organized by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police. Cities, local junkyards and businesses will participate on the force.
FOX5 learned that the magnitude of thefts since 2022 includes:
º 300 thefts across Clark County
º 174,000 feet of copper stolen (32 miles)
º $1.8 million in damage
º $1 million paid for by Clark County so far
Clark County public works officials said many repairs have to be redone because thieves strike the same location days later. Workers have tried to stop thefts by adding locks and welding or gluing covers to prevent forced entry.
“The amount of the value of copper is so minor compared to the damage that they’re doing. It costs us a fortune. We have a huge pedestrian problem right now. People are getting run over because the streets are dark. Add those lives into [the cost] and it’s astronomical,” Chair Segerblom said.
“Penalize people that sell the scrap metal, but also incentivize—maybe rewards and things—so we can get people to turn people in,” Segerblom added.
The county manager is working with the Sheriff of LVMPD on the creation of the task force and expects progress in the next two weeks.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
