Photo: JOEL SAGET / AFP / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - In an attempt to address the effects of rampant copper theft on city infrastructure, the Los Angeles City Council Wednesday requested an assessment of security needs at city sites, and agreed to study the possible formation of an internal task force that would manage reports of vandalism.
Council members voted 14-0 to instruct the Bureau of Street Lighting and the Los Angeles Police Department to conduct an assessment at city sites and yards and provide recommendations to improve security at those locations. Additionally, the LAPD will work with several city departments on the feasibility of establishing an internal task force on crimes against city infrastructure.
Councilwoman Heather Hutt was absent during the vote.
Prior to the vote, Councilman John Lee, who chairs the council's Public Works Committee, called copper wire theft "an issue that I think all of us are dealing with."
"I've always looked at this as a public safety issue -- having street lights out creates a dangerous situation," he added.
Lee said the city has also been affected by the theft of more than 400 catalytic converters stolen from vehicles at city yards, which are targeted for the precious metals inside including copper.
"We've only reported 70 of these copper wire thefts to the LAPD," Lee said, noting that in previous conversations, LAPD representatives were not aware of how widespread the problem is throughout the city.
"Departments are unfortunately taking it upon themselves to just work it in their budget, not realizing that they need to report these to LAPD," Lee said.
A similar situation exists with street lights: Thieves damage light poles to extract copper wiring, which can take several weeks to replace.
"The Bureau of Lighting is really at no-fault because of the way the system is set up," Lee said.
Council President Paul Krekorian thanked Lee for his leadership on the issue.
"Sometimes our constituents don't realize that the street light that they thought has been out for eight months has actually been repaired twice during that time and the theft recurred," Krekorian said. "So, this is a high priority for the city, and that's reflected by the number of motions that members have already introduced."
A report from the Board of Police Commissioners dated Sept. 19, 2023, noted three recommendations that could improve security at the affected locations. The first recommendation was to conduct an assessment, which the council approved. The other two recommendations, posting security personnel and installing more cameras and other monitoring systems for tracking when crimes occur, have yet to be approved and may come back for a vote once the assessment is complete.