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$1.8 million, 415 hydrants. Those are the raw numbers from south Los Angeles County’s yearlong skirmishes with brass-targeting fire hydrant thieves. It can cost upwards of $4,500 to replace a hydrant with a scrap metal value of $400. Not a very community-friendly equation.

The main target of the brass gangs is Golden State Water Company, which delivers quality reliable water to more than one million people in over 80 communities throughout California, including Los Angeles County. Millions of dollars and hundreds of hydrants are big numbers, but the risk to public safety from these thefts could be catastrophic. With wildfires popping up throughout the western United States, access to water and good water pressure is even more critical than saving dollars.
The skirmishes started small, and there had been some warnings from other locales, from Spokane, Washington, to Monterrey and Bakersfield, California, but by early 2024, Golden State knew that they had to fight back on a number of fronts.

A Three-Pronged Strategy to Deter Hydrant Theft

Law Enforcement Buy-in

Although tampering with a fire hydrant is a federal offense, it took a little effort for Golden State to convince law enforcement to devote some attention to a so-called “victimless crime.” As the prospects of long-term drought and pervasive wildfires arose, law enforcement began to respond with arrests of small gangs and opportunists.

Citizen Awareness

Equally importantly, Golden State got the public and its customers involved. The crimes usually took place in plain sight. The public needed to be convinced that the thefts were a big deal. One Golden State customer’s remarks are probably typical: “It’s mind-boggling that someone would come into a neighborhood and just steal a fire hydrant.... You’re putting a whole neighborhood in danger.” But that’s just what these gangs are doing.

Hardening the Target

Lastly, Golden State hardened the target. They turned to D&M Manufacturing of Lake Elsinore, California, to install shields and locks on hydrants in vulnerable locations. D&M’s mission is to go beyond making cages for security—their goal is to “lock it down, lock it up, and control the valve.” They manufacture, in the United States, a wide variety of security cages, valve covers, and enclosures. Their security collar for fire hydrants features a “hockey puck” lock from Lock America of Corona, California. Like D&M, Lock America is a U.S.-based company with decades of experience manufacturing security products. The lock has a stainless steel body and all-brass keyway for heavy-duty protection in all weather conditions. The pick-resistant keyway allows millions of registered key combinations for maximum flexibility. Golden State has installed more than a thousand shields, targeting areas they consider vulnerable.

The Task Force and Public Awareness Campaign

To address the issue of fire hydrant theft, the county and the water company have formed a task force—much like another task force recently formed in response to stolen copper wire—that meets biweekly and includes L.A. Sheriff’s Department officials from nearby stations.

Water company staff and first responders might notice some missing hydrants, but General Manager Nutting acknowledges that they need the public to bring thefts to their attention by contacting Golden State’s customer hotline. Golden State employs billboards and messages in mailings, websites, and social media postings to build public awareness and encourage reporting. “The customers are the ones that are most likely to see it first, so we encourage them to contact us,” she said. Law enforcement, public awareness, and the hardware are starting to impact the problem as thefts are dropping and arrests rising.

Copper Theft Remains a Problem

While Los Angeles County appears to have been the biggest hydrant battleground—and the public seems to be gaining the upper hand there—the battle for copper appears to be ongoing nationwide. While Los Angeles is one of the main fronts, the battle ranges from Tacoma, Washington, to Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Louisville, Kentucky.

The Los Angeles City Council recently approved a pair of motions Wednesday to create a new LAPD Copper Wire Task Force, as well as a reward program designed to encourage people to report copper thefts and other streetlight crimes in the city.

Copper wire theft is even more costly than brass theft. “We have witnessed this issue escalate at a very alarming rate,” said Councilmember Kevin de León, who introduced the motion. “Just five years ago, we were dealing with 500 to 600 cases of copper wire theft each year. In the past fiscal year, that number skyrocketed to a staggering 6,842 cases, with repair costs exceeding $20 million.”

The task force plans to roll out a comprehensive campaign with public involvement key in deterring and reporting thefts. At select locations, the city plans to harden targets, install cameras and alarms, and control access points. It has also created a reward program to encourage the public to target thieves.

In an effort to deter thieves who steal valuable copper wire from city streetlights and vandals who damage streetlights—and in a nod to renewable energy—Los Angeles has launched a solar streetlight pilot project in Van Nuys. During the pilot program, the city will collect data over the next year to determine how well the lights work and to make sure the lights remain on for two or three nights even if the sky is overcast and the streetlights don’t have much opportunity to recharge. The solar lights have “little to no street value,” Director of Street Lighting Miguel Sangalang said, and city officials hope that will deter criminals from stealing them.

Solar lights may be practical in the future, but the copper battles will be ongoing for quite a while. Success will come from small victories on many fronts—such as a reward program to spotlight perps, blocks to perimeter access, and replacing bolts with camlocks for access doors.

In the best and worst of times, small crimes can add up to a big one quickly. Making communities livable and sustainable requires vigilance and teamwork between public agencies, law enforcement, and community residents. Golden State Water is an example of a company that has met its customers’ problem head on with a multi-tiered approach. Los Angeles and other communities across the country will need similar strategies to deal with thefts of these kinds.

RICH MORAHAN writes frequently about security and marketing for a number of industries, including ATMs, information management, petroleum and propane distribution, and vending. You can contact him at 617-240-0372, rmwriteg@gmail.com, or rmorahan.com.

Author’s Note: Thank you to Marko Mlikotin and General Manager Kate Nutting of the Golden State Water Company for their contributions.

For information about security locks:
Lock America, Inc. 9168 Stellar Court, Corona, CA 92883 | laigroup.com | sales@laigroup.com

For information about hydrant shields and collars:
D&M Manufacturing 10 3rd St. Lake Elsinore, CA 92530 | 866-308-9911, 951-674-1908 | backflowtheft.com | info@backflowtheft.com