Latest news with #copperwiretheft
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Minneapolis to spend $1 million to combat copper wire theft
Jennie Kappenman had been wondering, what's with all the exposed wire right outside her sister's house in the Bancroft neighborhood of Minneapolis? She soon found out why the lights were out on the block, after her sister called the city. "Lo and behold, we just discovered what was going on, some tomfoolery," said Kappenman. The outages are right outside nearby Bancroft Elementary School. "Sometimes there's a lot of after-school programs that go pretty late into the evening, like after 10 p.m., so it's unfortunate that a lot of the families didn't have the safety of the light to get to their vehicles to cross the street," said Kappenman. "You need lights in a city to make sure that people are safe and feel safe, both the reality and the perception of safety," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. The outage in Bancroft represents just a few of the 450 city street lights the city said are now dark due to copper wire theft. "That's incredible. That is really slippery behavior on the people that are doing the work, eliminating the wire from the lights," said Kappenman. On Thursday, Minneapolis city leaders announced $1 million from the city's contingency funds will be used to hopefully help fix the problem. The money will go toward hiring more electricians and more material for repairs. The city is in the process of switching lights from copper wire to aluminum to deter theft. As of Thursday, Bryan Dodds, deputy director of public works for Minneapolis, said lights are still out around the lake. "We've received very little theft of the aluminum wires. Sometimes they'll open up the bases, they might even cut them, but then they realize this is aluminum, this is very little scrap value," said Dodds. Officials said they are also looking into making the bases of the lights harder to get into. As for Bancroft, city officials said they hope to restore the lights there within a few weeks. "I hope those people can have access to employment training and maybe get a job with the city actually helping lay wire instead of taking wire," said Kappenman. Crews are working as quickly as possible, with the hope to get through the entire backlog of copper wire thefts by November, according to the city.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
Two men charged after copper wire theft in Geary, N.B.
An RCMP detachment can be seen in this file photo. (David Prisciak/CTV News) Two people have been charged and a third arrested in connection with copper wire theft in Geary, N.B. The Oromocto RCMP received a tip early Friday morning that someone was driving an all-terrain vehicle loaded with copper wire. 'Shortly after, members of the Oromocto RCMP attended a residence on Broad Road, in Geary, and arrested a 45-year-old man, a 28-year-old man, and a 17-year-old boy all from Geary. While at the location, police observed rods of copper wires on the property,' reads a news release from the New Brunswick RCMP. Later that evening officers executed a search warrant at the same residence. Police say the officers seized around 330 feet of high-grade copper wire, a stolen trailer and stolen military kit. The 17-year-old was released from custody. Jason Cote, 45, and Riley Novak, 28, appeared in Fredericton provincial court on Saturday. They were both charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and were released from custody, pending a future court appearance. 'Copper wire thefts also pose a significant risk to public safety as it can limit access to 911 and other critical infrastructure,' reads the release. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
