The City of Miramar has seen a recent uptick in copper wire thefts and it’s left some of their streets in the dark.
“It is a huge problem. It has intensified in the last six months,” said Tania Rues, a spokesperson with the City of Miramar Police Department.
The wire thefts cause the street lights to go out, making the unlit streets dangerous for pedestrians and drivers to see at night.
“These dark streets are along heavily commuted roadways and this is impacting motorists as well as pedestrians. It is a huge safety concern,” Rues said.
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Police discovered a copper wire theft on Tuesday along Pembroke Road near the Avalon community. Recently, the thieves hit up street lights along Miramar Boulevard in the area near Red Road and Flamingo Road. In the past, a stretch of Douglas Road and Miramar Parkway was affected.
The city experienced the same problem of stolen metal in 2022 and a public works crew explained how the thieves cut the wires from electrical boxes below the street lights. Police say the crime usually happens during the day as the copper crooks often pose as repair workers or contractors.
“They’re doing this in plain sight. They don’t care that people see them or not," Rues said. "We believe, based on the intelligence that has been gathered, that they are posing as contractors or construction workers trying to blend in, making people who are driving by believe that they are there for legitimate purposes when they are not."
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The city has made some of the repairs from the recent cases, but the copper crime comes with a cost.
“We are seeing that this is costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars not only to replace the copper wiring but for the contractors to be able to come in and do the work as well,” Rues said.
Miramar Police are asking the community to be their eyes and ears on the street and contact them at 954-764-4357 if they notice any suspicious activity near street lights.
