Copper Thieves Winning Battle To Keep Tulsa Street Lights On

<p>The City of Tulsa continues to have a copper theft problem and it is leaving a number of city highways dark at night.  </p>

Wednesday, February 17th 2016, 12:26 pm

By: News On 6

Copper Thieves Winning Battle To Keep Tulsa Street Lights On

The City of Tulsa continues to have a copper theft problem and it is leaving a number of city highways dark at night.

On Tuesday, police arrested two men who they said stole over 200 pounds of copper wire belonging to the city. Officers said the pair were found sitting in a yard stripping the wire of its insulation.

The city says the latest problem area is Interstate-44 and Riverside Drive. Officials say thieves are breaking into the panels at the bottom of light poles along both roads and stealing the copper wire.

The city says so far, thieves have made off with 29 miles of wire.

As the city can afford it, the copper is being replaced with aluminum, and the access panels with theft-proof boxes.