Latest news with #streetlights
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
More street lights and cameras to make towns safer for Herefordshire women
Street lights and CCTV cameras have been installed in areas highlighted as giving cause for concern over women's new equipment focuses on routes in Ross-on-Wye and Leominster, in Herefordshire. that women take home at high-risk areas were identified as giving cause for concern after police looked at crime statistics and Julie Watson, from Herefordshire Police, said keeping women and girls safe was a "key priority" for the West Mercia force and the new lights and cameras would help to achieve this. Some areas in the towns had suffered from antisocial behaviour, particularly towards women and girls, Herefordshire councillor Carole Gandy said, but they were now "much safer places".Funding came from the West Mercia police and crime commissioner John Campion and the two town councils. Mr Campion said police listened to the community to "target our resources where they would make the most difference". Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
CBS News
7 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Thieves strip copper wire from South Florida streetlights in multi-city crime spree, officials say
A stretch of Military Trail between Hillsboro Boulevard and Copans Road is in the dark after thieves stripped copper wire from streetlights in what officials are calling a regional crime spree. Streetlights in Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach, Coconut Creek and Margate have all been targeted, with law enforcement investigating the thefts as the possible work of an organized ring. "All of them": Copper theft hits hard "The lights are missing from Hillsboro and Military all the way down to Copans Road, which takes you into the city of Pompano Beach," said Rebecca Medina Stewart with the City of Deerfield Beach. She said crooks stole copper wiring from every street light in a three-mile stretch of Military Trail from Deerfield Beach to Pompano Beach. CBS News Miami asked her whether it was just a few lights. "All of them," she said. "From what I understand, it's been all of them on both sides of the street, and they were in and out very quickly, because it happened over the course of one night," she added, describing the thefts as fast and possibly coordinated. Residents shocked by bold crime Residents are reacting with disbelief as major roadways remain dark at night. "I think there's no limit to what thieves will do," said Allan Cohen, who lives nearby. "It's gotten to this now. People steal quite a bit, but I never heard [of] copper wire from streetlights," added resident Ralph Franco. "That's a new one to me." BSO: Crime spanning multiple cities The Broward Sheriff's Office is investigating and calling this a regional issue, noting that in addition to Deerfield and Pompano, both Coconut Creek and Margate have reported similar copper thefts in the past two years. Detectives have not yet confirmed suspects but are exploring the likelihood of an organized group targeting public infrastructure for scrap value.
CBS News
7 days ago
- 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.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Private' street lights create issues for safe streets after hurricane vacancies
The Brief Some residents in South Tampa are dealing with dark streets because vacant homes no longer pay for attached streetlights. TECO said homeowners can take over the billing for these "area lights" — but some refuse, saying it's an unfair cost. Homeowners want the city to step in and pay for these streetlights, but we have not heard from officials. TAMPA, Fla. - After last year's brutal hurricanes, many Tampa Bay area neighborhoods remain half-vacant as people move back in or sell. Residents in Westshore have noticed their streets aren't just quieter — they're darker. What we know That's because some streetlights, once powered by homeowners, are now off when those homes sit empty. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube Elizabeth McCoy, a Tampa resident, told FOX 13, "After the hurricane, many of our neighbors left. They couldn't come back. So they disconnected their utilities. I realized the streetlight was not working, so I just reported it to TECO." Why you should care Streetlights in some parts of Tampa are not publicly funded — they're "area lights" attached to private homes. TECO explained to McCoy in an email, "The reported light is currently out of service because we do not have a customer for billing purposes. You can request to have this light turned on and added to your account for a monthly fee." But McCoy said with already high utility costs, that's not something she's willing to do. READ: Multi-year infrastructure improvement project complete in 4 Tampa neighborhoods "I think this is concerning that homeowners have to pay for streetlights when the streetlight is for safety and for the community, not only for one person, especially since we're already paying high taxes here," she said. What we don't know We didn't get specific details from TECO on how much these area lights cost a homeowner per month. We also reached out to the city to see if they plan to take over responsibility for lights that face public streets — but we have not heard back yet. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
