Las Vegas NowMetro Reacts Quickly After Call of Copper Theft

Metro Reacts Quickly After Call of Copper Theft

Metro police caught two copper thieves in the act of stealing wires from light poles Thursday morning. It happened in the extreme southwest at Rainbow and Starr.

One of them sits in the Clark County Detention Center -- the other got away.

This is a new development in the extreme southwest. The thieves figured they could just steal whatever they wanted and get away with it in this isolated area. They never realized how the neighbors pay attention there.

In the new development, light poles go up as fast as the thieves target them for a copper heist. People in this area are tired of the streets being dark because someone decided to steal the cooper wires from the light poles.

"They cost us all money," said Jane Gorcica. She is the reason police were able to catch the cooper thieves in the act.

"At two o'clock in the morning, when we went to bed, about 15 minutes later the lights went out. We saw two suspects," said Gorcica. She thought it was strange because the lights always stayed on at night.

Cooper theft is such a problem, Metro police make it a high priority. When they get a call like Gorcica's, officers react immediately.

"They showed up within seconds. They did a great job," she said.

The thieves ran. Police then sealed the area. Officers searched cars, even the trunks -- to find the men. One was eventually arrested. The other one got away.

This is not the type of crime where police will drop the case. Just last week, Metro's Property Crime Unit raided a recycling yard where they say thieves took stolen cooper.

Metro Lt. Bobby Duvall says it's all part of the aggressive stance to stop cooper theft. "You have to not only go at the source of the theft, but what brings the profit to that theft as well."

It doesn't matter where the copper theft happens. Metro police officers say they will respond quickly and this proves it.

Email your comments to Reporter Edward Lawrence.