Clark County’s answer to copper wire theft? Solar-powered streetlights

Clark County kicked off a pilot program Thursday by adding solar-powered streetlights to an area of the Las Vegas Valley hit hard by copper wire theft.

Crews began the installation of 12 solar streetlights on St. Louis Avenue, just east of Fremont Street, where streetlights along the stretch of road have been dark for months because of copper wire theft, according to Jimmy Benoit, manager of the traffic division of Clark County’s department of public works.

Since 2022, thieves have ripped off about 1 million feet of copper wire in the county, costing the local government millions of dollars, according to Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft.

“That’s just in unincorporated Clark County,” Naft said. “This is a problem in every municipality and jurisdiction in Southern Nevada and in the state.”

The persistent problems created by the copper theft led county officials to pursue alternatives for streetlights in trouble zones.

Each solar streetlight costs around $5,600, materials and installation included, Benoit said, or a total of $67,200 for the dozen being installed Thursday.

The county will review data tied to the pilot program at a later date to determine if they are cost efficient enough to add at other trouble spots in the county. Compared with a standard streetlight, solar versions require a higher level of maintenance to ensure they operate properly. So a big part of the program will be tracking maintenance of the solar panels and if that is economically feasible.

“You have to keep the trees clear of them. You have to make sure they’re tight and secure and accepting a charge,” Benoit said. “Batteries have a lifetime, of course, but I’ve heard reports that these have a really good life cycle. So we’re hopeful this will be a good way to go.”

Copper wire theft occurs both on the small scale, mainly by homeless individuals, and the large scale, via organized operations, Naft said. In some cases, once crews replace copper wire in an area, the wire is stolen again within days.

Clark County this year also moved wiring from below ground to above ground at the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Lamb Avenue, another area copper thieves have heavily targeted.

“That so far has proven to be a good deterrent,” Benoit said. “So we’re weighting all of our options to see what’s going to work best for us.”

Aside from looking at different streetlight options, the county will also pursue legislation aimed at making the penalties associated with stealing and selling copper more stringent. The county is working with neighboring jurisdictions to draft a similar proposal, to make it easier on law enforcement to enforce, should legislation pass next year.

“We’re closely working with the city of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson to bring a similar policy to make it harder to sell that scrap metal,” Naft said. “If there’s no value to copper wire, then it will diminish the likelihood that it will get stolen.”

County officials are also working with area law enforcement to educate them on signs of potential copper theft, and they also urge area residents to also keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

“We tell the public if you see caps off at the bottom of a street pole, that’s a sign that perhaps the next day someone is going to come though and tamper with that pole. So be alert, be on the lookout for it and let us know if you see those signs, report it and we’ll continue to enforce it.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.