KYTC, LMPD asking for public's help in stopping copper thieves in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Police and state officials are asking for the public's help in preventing copper thieves that cause interstates to go dark.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said there have been four instances of reported copper wire theft over the past two weeks and, since 2020, damages from the thefts have cost nearly $1 million. KYTC is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

There are 25 interchanges in Jefferson County that are currently dark because of the thefts. KYTC Engineer Matt Bullock said those interchanges total to 1,400 individual non-working light poles because of stolen copper wiring.

"It always has a good recycle value. During Covid, it spiked up more," Bullock said. "Some people's home wiring has been stolen. Some people's copper gutters have been stolen and copper fittings on AC units."

KYTC said it's very damaging when thieves mess with the copper wiring in even just one light pole because they operate like a string of lights for a Christmas tree. When one light stops working, they all go out.

"We've been slow on relighting some of these intersections because the one at 64 and 264 has been hit five times," Bullock said. "A million dollars for everything is very expensive, if we put all of our resources into the lighting side of things, we may not be able to be as responsive for roadway repairs, like potholes."

Some areas across Jefferson County have been targeted multiple times. Interstate 264 is a target at Bank Street and seven other locations, including between West Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Southern Parkway. I-64 at Adams Street and Story Avenue, and Interstate 65 at eight locations between Broadway and Fern Valley.

The department believes these copper thieves know what they're doing, since anyone who messes with the wiring could be electrocuted. 

"There's enough voltage in there to absolutely kill a person," Bullock said. "It's a safety issue for our driving public and for people who don't know what they're doing and messing with those live wires."

Tuesday night, the lights along the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 64 near Louisville's Portland neighborhood never came on.

About three weeks ago, a WDRB News Photojournalist recorded video showing a long stretch of I-64 in Louisville in the dark. WDRB alerted KYTC about the lack of interstate lighting, with a detailed map showing a huge section of I-64 in Louisville in the dark. 

The next day, an email from a KYTC spokesperson said crews had inspected the area and fixed a majority of the lighting in the eastbound lanes. The damages were blamed on copper wire theft. It's a problem that has persisted since at least August 2022, when 66,000 feet of copper was stolen from interstate lights. At the time, the state said eight areas were hit along I-64, I-65 and I-264.

"We don't know if it's COVID related, but that's when it started getting really bad," Bullock said.

With around 200-feet between each light pole, Bullock said thieves can pull out around 300 to 600 feet of copper wiring.

Bullock said the cabinet has cameras out and devices to detect when circuits are broken. KYTC has also partnered with local agencies, like LMPD, to solve this, but officials are now asking for the public's help. They're offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

"If you see somebody hanging around these fuse boxes or on your daily commute to work you have a light that is normally always lit on the highway that's out, we want you to report it," LMPD Sgt. Matt Sanders said. 

Drivers are asked to report any known information about wire thefts in the state to KYTC's Office of Inspector General at (502) 330-7506. In Louisville, drivers can call in tips to LMPD's Crime Tip Line by calling (502) 574-LMPD (5673). Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's online Crime Tip Portal by clicking here. Dark intersections can be reported to KYTC's Traffic Operations Center at (877) FOR-KYTC (367-5982).