As copper wire thefts continue, Twin Cities officials scrounge for solutions

From silent alarms, welding, retail screws to even duct tape, Twin Cities officials have tried more than a dozen solutions to prevent copper wire thefts this year. Some fixes have shut down criminal rings while others fell short, and as residents walk darkened streets ahead of a new law aimed at curbing the destructive and expensive trend, the search continues for a foolproof answer.

Copper wire thefts surged across the nation around 2020, and the value of copper skyrocketed. It now sells for about $4.56 a pound.

Thieves often strip wire from light poles along park trails and quiet streets, darkening miles of pathway and then selling the metal to recyclers and scrapyards. Authorities have charged many suspects, often with recycling professionals’ help, but the problem continues.

“Streetlight wire theft has [brought] another problematic year. 2023 was also quite a challenge for us,” said Joe Laurin, a project manager with the Minneapolis Public Works Department. “We think the challenge with wire theft aligns closely with the value of recycled copper.”

Thieves stripped copper wire from streetlights, homes, air conditioners and electric vehicle charging stations. Two Twin Cities men posing as employees were accused this year of causing more than $10,000 in damage while stealing copper wire from a communications tower outside Little Falls in central Minnesota. In Eagan, authorities charged a former employee with stealing at least $4,000 in copper wire from the city. And in a St. Paul neighborhood, neighbors suspect wire theft led to the death of 64-year-old Steven Wirtz; he was struck by a vehicle while walking his dog in an area darkened by copper thieves.

Copper wire thefts cost St. Paul $250,000 in damages in 2019; last year, that cost ballooned to $1.2 million. The city’s Department of Public Works has received around 1,600 reports of streetlights damaged by wire theft this year. Officials say that’s likely an undercount because wire theft can be reported through multiple departments across the city.

So far this year, Minneapolis thieves have stripped wire at a rate similar to 2023. City officials have spent at least $200,000 repairing broken lights, often near the lakes and West River Parkway.

The two cities have invested money in pursuit of both short- and long-term solutions to the problem.

Access to some light poles have been welded shut and the poles electrified during the day to deter theft. Others have been equipped with silent alarms and are being considered for solar energy or overhead wires. Low-tech measures include light pole panels secured by commercial screws and duct tape.

After trying more than a dozen such solutions, a permanent fix is elusive.

“We have, within about the last nine months, reinstalled about 10 miles of underground wiring to the street-lighting system,” Laurin said, adding that Minneapolis must replace more wire before the year ends.

“There are some areas [where] the wire’s been stolen, we’ve restored the wire, and it’s been stolen again almost immediately. That’s happened in multiple locations, and sometimes as many as three times in the last year.”

Gov. Tim Walz and other state leaders hope a new law scheduled to take effect on Jan.1 will help deter copper thieves. Written by Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul, and Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, the law will require a license to sell copper in Minnesota. It also will require businesses buying copper to track each sale and scan sellers’ licenses.

However, some in the recycled materials industry worry the law will be “irrevocably catastrophic.”

In the meantime, various anti-theft measures have shown potential.

Laurin said replacing copper with aluminum wires and signage has been a low-cost solution in some areas, discouraging thieves from breaking into streetlight panel boxes. St. Paul spokeswoman Lisa Hiebert said other undisclosed efforts have helped to slow the rate of wire theft this year.

Officials from both cities said copper thieves would learn and adjust if information about some of their countermeasures is publicized. In the meantime, they encourage vigilance.

“If you see something, say something. Call 911!,” urges the St. Paul’s Department of Public Works website. Minneapolis officials also ask residents to be wary: “Report suspicious behavior or activity around streetlights, traffic signals, EV chargers, utility vaults, or private property.”