The Los Angeles agency in charge of the city’s electricity wants to create its own armed police force to combat the the epidemic of thieves stealing valuable copper wire from streetlights.
The LA Department of Water and Power made the request in a letter sent to the City Council, pointing out that the Port of Los Angeles and Los Angeles airports have their own police authorities.
The agency already employs security guards, but “they lack the authority to detain or arrest suspects, intervene in crimes in progress, conduct searches, or carry firearms for enforcement purposes,” the letter said.
The department currently depends on local law enforcement to respond speedily, but that’s unreliable in remote locations where there is critical infrastructure, it added.
If such an armed force was granted, the department expects to add 20 to 50 officers, who would have the authority to carry a firearm, make arrests and investigate thefts, in addition to handling jobs like dispatch and crime analysis.
“The creation of a sworn LADWP Police Department is a critical modernization step for the nation’s largest municipal utility,” the department said.
The agency pointed to other acts of vandalism and terrorism, citing an incident early this year when an individual drove a vehicle through a perimeter fence and entered an LADWP property with explosive materials and multiple weapons.
Still, some advocates are skeptical of the proposal.
“I think we really need to be wary of creating new police departments in general, but especially without a clear case and clear constraints and accountability mechanisms,” David Levitus, executive director of advocacy group LA Forward, told The Los Angeles Times.
For the plan to proceed, it would need the support of voters and state legislative approval. Financially, it would cost $9.7 million over three years and up to $6 million annually for staffing.
Copper wire theft has plagued California for years, with thieves often targeting streetlights and plunging neighborhoods into darkness.
Los Angeles has been particularly hard hit as the value of the metal creeps upward. Most of the stolen wire turns up in scrap markets as thieves try to sell it for profit. Wire theft can cost the city more than $20 million a year.
Los Angeles had previously rejected an entrepreneur’s cheap and simple fix of a hardened cover to stop copper wire thefts, and instead opted for converting to solar lamps that will cost up to $6,000 each.
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