LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to establish a reward program for individuals who report information regarding copper wire thefts, and to create a task force that will prioritize the crimes in the 14th District.
Members voted 13-2 on the motions after a debate that featured much frustration about the proliferation of copper wire thefts impacting city infrastructure, including street lights, and even statues and plaques.
Council members Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez voted against the motions.
"I don't think there's anyone around the horseshoe that hasn't been impacted by the rapidly growing problem of copper wire theft in the city of Los Angeles," Councilman Kevin de León said prior to the vote. De León co-authored the motions with members John Lee and Traci Park.
De León said the thefts have escalated at an alarming rate from just five years ago, from about 500 to 600 cases to a staggering 6,842 cases, costing the city well over $20 million despite officials "tripling" funding for the issue.
"Nothing has revealed more than the extent to which criminals will go than the brazen theft of copper wire from our very own Sixth Street Bridge," the councilman said. "The thieves received a street value of $11,000, however the estimated cost to the taxpayers will be $2.5 million to repair the bridge and bring the lights back on."
The driving force behind the surge of copper theft, he says, is the metal's value in the market.
De León's first motion instructed the Los Angeles Police Department, City Attorney's Office, Bureau of Street Lighting and the City Clerk to file recommendations to establish a standing reward offer for information resulting in the identification, apprehension and conviction of copper wire thieves and those guilty of street-light vandalism within the city.
His second motion instructed the LAPD and Bureau of Street Lighting to create a Copper Wire Task Force to address those crimes in his 14th District, covering the communities of downtown L.A., Boyle Heights, El Sereno and Lincoln Heights. Approximately $200,000 will be allocated to support the task force, which he says is necessary because there are at least 3,738 street lights that have been vandalized and stripped of copper wire.
Park supported these efforts, adding that the crimes are putting lives at risk on top of placing a financial strain on the city.
"It's also a stain on our city's reputation when our iconic structures like the Sixth Street Bridge become a punch line across the country and on social media," Park said. "Angelenos are fed up with this and the criminals that do this need to be held accountable."
While Hernandez said she understands that copper wire theft is an issue throughout the city, including in her First District, she could not support the reward system. She said it misses critical steps and understanding of the root problem, and she argued for an alternative "rather than expand(ing) city efforts and resources on a reward program that does not intervene until after the damage is done and focuses on punitive measures."
Hernandez favored a motion Council President Paul Krekorian previously introduced calling for a report on the feasibility of transitioning street lights from electric to solar power.
"I know that the prevention piece is a lot -- it is expensive -- because we could be switching over to a solar system, but at some point we got to put the horse before the cart," she said.
Hernandez said the city is placing too much effort on fixing and catching up to the amount of damage already done.
"We cannot continue to keep up. It's like playing whack-a-mole," she said.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez pushed back, saying there needs to be a system to incentivize citizens to turn thieves in to police, as well as for the city attorney to crack down on those who purchase and sell stolen copper. She also noted that the city has taken steps on those preventive measures Hernandez spoke on.
The City Attorney's Office previously announced an effort to educate and go after those who sell stolen copper and other precious metals.
Krekorian noted that the LAPD used to have a Metal Theft Task Force that could investigate the crimes and identify upstream purchasers of metal. He said the issue should be attacked on a regional level, where the city could partner with the county, California Highway Patrol and LA Metro, as well as other government agencies.
The council president, who also serves as a member of Metro's board of directors, said the issue has impacted the transit system.
"Train signals are being shut down because of metal theft, putting at risk a train full of people, all for the benefit of $20 to $30 worth of copper," Krekorian said. "This is absolutely intolerable in any society."
Soto-Martinez spoke in defense of the criminals, saying some might be people who are financially struggling and committing acts of desperation. He also acknowledged that those committing copper theft range from struggling individuals to members of organized crime.
"I implore you that it's probably cheaper to invest into young people's future than having to deal with a system of criminalization that really just gets us nowhere," he said.
But Councilman John Lee said it was important to remember the victims of these crimes. Some people have had their catalytic converters stolen for the same reason and go weeks or months struggling to get to work, he said.
"We focus more as (a) society on this person committing the crime and not on the victim anymore," Lee said, noting that the city should look at all its options and do everything possible to address the problem.
Rodriguez made it clear that the reward amount would not be excessive.
"We're not actually losing anything here," she added. "We're not giving up anything. We're trying to create an additional incentive. Another tool in our toolbox along with the prosecution efforts or the preventative measures that we want to take."
Several council members lamented the financial impact of recurring copper theft.
"I am pushing back because I want us to stop wasting our money. That's why I'm talking about this," Hernandez said. "We all want accountability 100%, but if I choose where I'm going to put my money, I really want us to try to look into stopping the harm from happening in the first place."