Along the region's freeway corridors, copper wire thieves are plaguing cities including Davis, Dixon and Sacramento to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars as they pop in to steal metal from baseball fields, greenbelts and elementary schools.
The crime spree was supposed to have been prevented by state laws enacted in 2008. But authorities say the Legislature didn't provide funding for agencies to enforce the new laws – that is, to crack down on less-than-reputable recyclers who deal with thieves.
The price of copper spiked after February's earthquake in Chile, the world's largest copper producer. Prices for scrap copper rose, too, which may have touched off the recent spate of thefts.
Read the complete story at sacbee.com