Copper wire thieves strike again on Hanford Armona Road as they damage local street lights

They did cause damage requiring city officials to make repairs. It was only about a week ago that copper wire thieves attempted to steal copper wire at the intersection of Highway 41 and Bush Street. 

According to Lemoore City Manager Nathan Olson, Wednesday’s nighttime assailants managed to steal about 300 feet of copper wire from at least two streetlights. He also said that the wiring in six more streetlights was cut but wasn’t stolen. The repair cost is about $1,200.

While certainly, the Lemoore Police Department may predictably keep an eye out for late-night copper thieves, the department’s Problem Oriented Policing Team (POP) has been assigned to tackle the issue. The POP team is a proactive effort that can focus on specific problems within the city. The unit has certain flexibility to work any hours they can to solve the problem.

Lemoore’s POP has dealt with property crimes and drugs during its tenure. The city’s POP team has traditionally had good relationships with downtown businesses. The team generally is a policing strategy that involves the identification and analysis of specific crimes to develop effective response strategies.

The streetlights on Hanford Armona Road are popular with copper thieves. City officials said that just a few years ago, thieves struck a string of city streetlights on Hanford Armona from Highway 41 to Cinnamon Drive. The theft left the city with about a $10,000 repair bill.

Lemoore isn’t alone. Copper thieves have become a public nuisance, stealing wire from a variety of sources: abandoned houses, commercial buildings, and construction sites.