LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Copper thieves continue to strike in Louisville, leaving many streets and interstates in darkness. That's why city leaders have formed a task force to put a stop to the thefts. 

The thieves can strike anywhere — including the interstate near Lynn Family Stadium in Butchertown — where copper bandits broke though fencing and stole copper wiring from several light poles, damaging the fixtures and leaving the roadway in darkness at night. 

That's where Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg joined other local leaders Tuesday morning to announce the formation of a task force to redouble efforts to stop the thefts. 

Police said it's not unusual for the thieves to target the same light again after it has been repaired. And those repairs are expensive. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said taxpayers are on the hook for more than a million dollars to pay for the labor and materials to make repairs over the past four years.

Officials said there are currently about 1,500 lights in the Louisville Metro area that aren't working because of tampering and theft. 

Greenberg was joined by LMPD and officials from LG&E, AT&T, the transportation cabinet and metro council members to announce the creation of the "Critical Infrastructure Task Force."

Greenberg said the agencies will coordinate their efforts to address the issue in their own capacity. For example, city council members have spoken with LMPD about strengthening city ordinances to make stronger requirements for scrapyards to accept copper wire from sellers.

"The goal of the Critical Infrastructure Task Force is to coordinate all of our efforts, so we can prevent these copper theft crimes, catch the criminals and prosecute the criminals who are committing these crimes," Greenberg said.

Members of the task force have been meeting regularly throughout 2024 and are currently working to create a dashboard for tracking, analyzing, and measuring progress on reducing the frequency of copper wire thefts, according to a written statement.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will be a key partner in those efforts, as it works to keep state road and highways lights across Louisville in operation.

"Our priority is to ensure Kentuckians are safe and that we responsibly steward taxpayer dollars," said Executive Director of the KYTC Office of Inspector General Maryellen Mynear. "We continue to encourage the public to report any suspicious activity to help identify those involved in this criminal activity. Our ongoing solar lighting pilot project in Jefferson County is a proactive step we’re taking to evaluate their effectiveness as a potential solution to deter future copper wire theft."

Copper wire theft can also impact critical communications, according to AT&T and LMPD leaders, because thieves often end up cutting communication lines as well.

Police believe the copper thieves are working in groups, and they're asking the public to report anything they know or see.

There's now a combined $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest: AT&T is offering a $10,000 reward and the transportation department is offering a $5,000 reward. 

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