Copper wire theft leaves Fairfax District neighborhood at the hours of darkness

FAIRFAX DISTRICT, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Sue Keh Bennett lives within the Fairfax District and says a lot of avenue lights close to Sierra Bonita Avenue and Beverly Boulevard are out.

Covers to electrical bins are smashed and wires are torn out.

“After I see that, I do not know what wires are dwell and what’s not. I am not an electrician. I do not know,” Keh Bennett mentioned. “I see our canines strolling down the road and once they go to the lavatory, I am afraid they may electrocute themselves as a result of we do not know.”

Video she despatched from Monday evening reveals avenue lights off, and it is pitch black within the neighborhood. She additionally despatched pictures that present a lot of bins opened and copper wire had been stolen.

“I simply thought possibly it was simply our avenue, and the extra we stroll we see it taking place east, west, south. It is loopy,” Keh Bennett mentioned.

On a a lot bigger scale, it is the identical challenge with the Sixth Avenue Bridge the place all of the lights are out, and it’s coated in graffiti.

“Thieves repeatedly steal the copper wiring and have left the bridge at the hours of darkness,” Los Angeles police Cmdr. Lillian Carranza mentioned in a publish on X.

Fixing the bridge’s lighting long run will probably be tough. The copper wiring continues to be a goal for thieves.

“Sadly, the Metropolis’s 100 12 months streetlighting infrastructure is well accessible, making the lights on this neighborhood prime targets for copper wire theft. The LAPD has a devoted Heavy Metallic Process Pressure that may proceed to carry individuals accountable,” the L.A. Bureau of Avenue Lighting mentioned in an announcement.

Fixing the difficulty is not going to be really easy. With thefts reported in a number of areas throughout town, officers say attending to all of the repairs will possible take months.

“It is so brazen. It is loopy,” Keh Bennett mentioned. “I imply how a lot copper are you actually getting? However the inconvenience and the toll that it takes on the taxpayers and simply locally. It is unfair.”