Milwaukee Streetlights Remain Dark as Copper Thieves Fuel Record Metal Prices
Carmen, a Riverwest grandmother, says she hasn't felt safe at night since streetlights near her home stopped working due to copper thieves. The city's Department of Public Works (DPW) has confirmed that there have been 10 recent copper wire thefts across multiple neighborhoods.
The thefts are part of a pattern that has pulled copper wiring from streetlights in Riverwest, Riverside Park, Harambee, and Rufus King. A DPW spokesperson said the department doesn't have a timeframe for repairs to the tampered-with streetlights.
Soaring metal prices help explain the incentive behind the thefts. Global copper futures and U.S. scrap metal prices hit historic highs in August 2026, with COMEX benchmark copper trading over $6.60 per pound and clean bare bright copper wire fetching scrap payouts between $5.20 and $5.90 per pound.
The city's LED conversion plan has been slowed by theft before. In July 2025, a circuit replacement project in the Rufus King neighborhood was halted for three weeks after thieves stole copper wiring and plastic piping, leaving residents without streetlights during the delay.