It was LIGHTS OUT for residents of the 900 block of South Windsor this weekend. Thieves apparently stole the copper wire feeding the street lamps on both sides of the street and the neighborhood is still plunged in darkness. The copper wires are accessed through a box on the side of each street light and run below the sidewalks. Thieves are known to strike most often in the early morning hours – they open the boxes, pull the wire and take it for sale in the metals market.
The Street Light Division reports that the City has been hit with a wave of streetlight copper wire theft in neighborhoods including Windsor Square, the Melrose District, and the South Robertson area in Mid-City. Because this crime wave is going wide, Street Lighting says it may take up to two weeks to get the materials and manpower to rewire the South Windsor Blvd. block. Once the repairs are completed, the street light boxes will be sealed so as to deter further theft.
BE AWARE of the lighting on your block. If you see anyone tampering with the street lights before 8 am and after 3 pm CALL 911! They are probably not city workers – City crews will have a City truck close at hand and will be in uniform. Get a license plate number or photograph if you can, but don’t confront the thieves.
IF YOU NOTICE YOUR STREET LIGHTS ARE OUT, CALL 3-1-1 OR STREET LIGHTING DIVISION AT 323-913-4744 or fill in an online request for service.
