LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – An East Las Vegas neighborhood plagued by copper wire theft has started to see some relief after repairs and new theft prevention methods, while the county promises to hire an additional contractor to tackle the backlog of repairs Valley-wide.
The massive stretch of Lamb Road from Charleston Boulevard to Sahara Avenue now has dozens of lights on, with dozens of repairs left to go. Starting in April, crews installed copper wire at the top of lights to prevent thefts. According to Clark County crews, none of the new repairs have been damaged.
FOX5 has told you about various streets east of Charleston Boulevard and Lamb that have been in the dark for months or longer, and neighbors tell FOX5, some streets still don’t have lights. County officials said repairs have occurred on various side streets, and FOX5 saw lights back on in some previously dark stretches.
County officials said they are working to hire a contractor for $1.2 million to tackle the backlog of thefts across the Las Vegas Valley.
“Currently, we maintain a revolving list of about 300 locations where wire theft has occurred and in need of repair. As we repair sites, new locations of wire theft continue to occur. As part of our efforts to keep streetlight circuits on throughout unincorporated areas in the County, our Public Works Department has initiated a $1.2 million project to hire a contractor to help us address our backlog of streetlight locations in need of repair. The project is expected to replace an estimated 42,000 feet of wiring and is expected to go out to bid in coming weeks,” a county spokesperson emailed to FOX5.
Since 2022, more than 500,000 feet of copper wiring has been stolen from lights and infrastructure. Officials said 104,000 feet has been repaired across 263 locations.
Chair Tick Segerblom has asked Metro Police to establish a Valley-wide copper theft task force.
People who sell copper wire to scrap metal shops are required to present their ID card. Commissioner Michael Naft tells FOX5, he plans to introduce a new ordinance to crack down on shops that accept stolen copper wire.
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