Tucson neighborhood left partially in the dark as streetlight repairs lag amid copper wire thefts

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — It’s been about a year since many streetlights went dark in one Tucson neighborhood, and residents say they’ve had enough.

You've heard it before: copper wire theft. But neighbors are asking why it’s taking so long to fix the lights.

Athena Kehoe

“It used to be you could see the streets, you could see the traffic coming through them, but you can't even see that anymore because it's so dark in these areas,” explains Seth Nilson, who has lived in Tucson for over 40 years.

Seth Nilson said he’s filed multiple reports using the city’s 311 app and online complaint forms. But he says he’s tired of seeing statuses marked as “acknowledged” without any real change.

“I just want them back on to feel safe again," he explains.

Since filming this story on Friday, September 12, Nilson said he noticed some of the streetlights start to work, specifically on W Calle Siglo.

KGUN 9

The City of Tucson’s Transportation Department has told neighbors they’ve seen an increase in copper wire theft over the last year. The problem has grown large enough to overwhelm city crews trying to make repairs in a timely manner.

Nilson says streetlights act as a natural deterrent, spotlighting potential crime scenes before thieves have a chance to strike. “I think it's their responsibility to keep their citizens safe and so that's, you know, part of it we paid for the lights and we expect them to work.”

In Tucson, stealing copper wire can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor, depending on its value. Nilson hopes the city will prioritize finding more effective solutions to prevent the thefts in the first place.

KGUN 9 reached out to the Department of Transportation to ask how many lights are currently out citywide due to copper wire theft. The department has not yet responded to this question, but did tell KGUN 9 via email:

"As a result of the scale of the problem, all streetlight repair locations (wire-theft caused or not) are being prioritized by safety, operational impacts, and work efficiency. Outages on major streets with higher traffic speeds and pedestrian/bicyclist activity, traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, emergency repairs, etc. may generally be addressed before getting to individual outages on neighborhood streets."

The department has also confirmed to KGUN 9 that they are "coordinating to return to the site to fix the current issue and plans to further harden the infrastructure in an effort to prevent future wire theft."

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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.