(FOX40.COM) — The author of a new law combating copper theft has introduced a bill to give law enforcement more tools to tackle the growing problem.
Asm. Mark González, D-Los Angeles, last week proposed Assembly Bill 1941. The legislation would target repeat and organized offenders who steal copper and other materials; it would also create a statewide database to give law enforcement “increased visibility” into organized metal theft rings.
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“This bill sends a clear message,” González said in a news release. “If you treat our neighborhoods as salvage, if you destroy our infrastructure for some quick cash, if you endanger our community with these senseless crimes, there will be consequences.”
Copper wire theft is a modern-day plague, he said. In Los Angeles alone, more than seven miles of copper wire were stolen from the city’s Sixth Street bridge, causing $2.5 million in damages…