Copper Thieves Leave Tucson, Ariz. Parks in the Dark

Copper thieves targeting baseball parks in Tucson have left teams scrambling for places to play and the city on the hook for thousands of dollars in repairs.

Without the wiring, the parks can’t be lit up.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that the city has spent $102,000 replacing wiring at 12 parks in the last year.

Four parks still haven’t gotten wiring replaced because of a lack of funding.

Some parks have been hit more than once.

At Juhan Park, for example, thieves stole $9,000 worth of copper wiring in July. The wiring was recently replaced after it took the parks and recreation department months to raise the money.

The day after the new wiring was installed earlier this month, it was stolen. Only this time, the city says it will take $40,000 to replace.

___