Copper wire theft is on the rise in the Bay Area and now it's threatening infrastructure.
In San Jose, hundreds of streetlights are out and in Contra Costa County, Richmond’s police chief said it’s a similar situation there as well.
There was not much visibility along parts of Jackson and Mabury avenues in San Jose on Tuesday night as several streetlights were out.
San Jose police said there are more than 300 streetlights in the city were out of service because of copper wire theft.
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Brian Schulman, president of Rinehart Neighborhood Association, said he noticed the problem over the weekend when he walked outside his home.
“Some of the covers on the ground were opened up with wires just sticking out of them, cut,” he said. “It went all the way down the street.”
Schulman took some photos, which showed the covers broke with wires hanging across the sidewalk. He said he called the fire department and they came out to the neighborhood.
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But it wasn’t until it got dark when Schulman and neighbors noticed the effects.
“We realized that there were a bunch of lights out, about 18 on the street alone. With the high school, it’s a safety concern,” he said.
Some of the lights that are out are near Independence High School.
“It’s really safety of the students, you have night classes, you have athletics, football games at night,” Schulman said.
Unfortunately, it’s an issue hurting cities across the Bay. In Richmond, Contra Costa County leaders addressed the increase in copper cable theft on Tuesday.
“When these networks go down, it hampers access to critical emergency services, delays vital communication,” said Simon O’Connell, Chief Assistant District Attorney at Contra Costa County.
O’Connell said the Contra Costa County DA’s office has hired a crime analyst who will work with agencies across the bay area.
Schulman said he’s lived in San Jose his whole life and he’s never seen anything like this.
“It’s concerning because the question is what’s next? Are they going to hit the streetlights next? Are they going to hit residentials next?” he said.
