Thieves Strike Georgia Highway Cameras in Search of Copper

Authorities say traffic cameras on a main freeway through metro Atlanta, Ga., were malfunctioning Friday, apparently the result of repeated thefts of copper and fiber-optic wiring.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the wiring connects the cameras on Georgia 400 to the Georgia Department of Transportation’s nerve center, where traffic conditions are monitored. Copper thefts have risen in recent months as thieves steal it from buildings and other sources and sell it for scrap.

Video feeds from a pair of cameras on Georgia 400 at the Chattahoochee River in Sandy Springs first went dark during the afternoon rush hour on Aug. 27. Then, all of the cameras up and down Georgia 400 — from Sandy Springs to Alpharetta — were out on Thursday.