Davis Police Warn of Copper Thieves

The theft of copper wire is on the rise in Davis and police want the public to be wary.

Police say they have taken 11 reports of copper wire theft or attempted theft since the beginning of the year. These crimes, police say, typically occur on the greenbelts or near public parks. The thieves most consistently target city light poles, but city facilities have also been targeted in the past. 

The most recent cases of copper theft have shown that these crimes are possibly being committed in separate stages, according to police.

First the thieves will access a city electrical box and cut the copper wire inside. Once the wires are cut, they remove the wires and either leave the scene with them or stash them nearby. If stashed, the thieves will later return to the scene to collect and take the stolen copper wire. 

Copper wire theft is a crime that can have devastating consequences for our city, according to police.

"The damages are not only costly, but they cause the city lights to malfunction or completely go out which can become a safety hazard for citizens," a Davis Police press release stated. "These crimes affect the entire community and the Davis Police Department is requesting your help."

You can help the Police Department in the following ways: 

• Be aware of any person(s) who is acting suspicious in greenbelt areas, public parks, and near light poles. Remember that a person(s) working on city fixtures should be wearing proper uniformed clothing and/or a safety vest. 
• Keep in mind that copper thieves use tools such as flashlights, bolt cutters, wire cutters, two way radios, and gloves to carry out these crimes. An un-uniformed individual(s) surveying city electrical fixtures with a flashlight or manipulating fixtures with bolt/wire cutters should raise suspicions. 
• Alert the Police Department if you observe any copper wire or copper wire bundles stashed in “out of place” areas such as nearby trees, plants, bushes, etc. 
• Report all city light pole outages, especially around the greenbelts and parks. Outages can happen for other reasons, but might be specifically tied to recent copper theft. 
• Please immediately call in any of the activity described above to 530-758-3600 (For suspicious activity in progress) or 530-747-5400 (For activity not currently in progress).