King County Prosecutors renew push for legislation to deal with copper wire theft

Loyal Heights Playfield in Seattle has been left without lighting after thieves apparently opened electrical junction boxes and cut copper wires inside.

A KIRO 7 crew was in the park Monday and found several boxes that appeared to have been opened, with cut wires inside. The damage appears to have impacted the lights that illuminate the park in the evening.

As a result, the park is dark after sunset, disrupting scheduled evening activities like youth athletics practices and team functions.

In response to widespread metal and copper theft, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Gary Ernsdorff renewed a call for legislation requiring scrap metal recyclers to photograph purchased copper and upload the details into a central database.

Although the bill failed during the previous legislative session in early 2026, officials say the photo database would give law enforcement a tool to trace stolen materials and deter thieves from selling stolen wire.

Copper theft remains widespread across the region, with Washington and Oregon cited as two of the hardest-hit states according to Ernsdorff. He explained the challenge law enforcement faces in curbing wire theft.

“The PNW has a copper theft problem; we see headline after headline,” Ernsdorff said. “We’re supposedly in the, not a club you want to be in, but we’re one of the most hard-hit states, with WA and OR for copper theft.”

He noted that once thieves remove wire from a location, identifying its origin becomes extremely difficult.

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“Unless they’re caught red-handed, it is really easy to steal copper wire and sell it to a metal recycler,” Manion said. “These investigations are hard for law enforcement — once the thieves are gone, it’s hard to distinguish the material that’s been stolen.”

The power loss at Loyal Heights Playfield has directly affected local youth sports, according to some parents. Matt Maynard, a Ballard resident and parent, described how his son’s football team had to practice in the dark after the field lights failed to turn on.

“The lights weren’t coming on at the Loyal Heights playfield; next thing we know, two or three practices go by and lo and behold, no lights,” Maynard said. “So, they came in, stole the wires, and here we are with communities without kids being able to play their sports.”

The theft has also drawn frustration from legitimate scrap metal collectors. Matt Baum is a local man who collects and sells discarded metal from old appliances and trash.

He said he often checks with property owners and works directly with them to haul away scrap that would otherwise go to the landfill.

“I talk to the owner; it’s going to the dump anyway, so I work on it,” Baum said.

He added that stealing public infrastructure harms the entire area.

“I don’t have to steal from my community. I meet people; they talk about doing streetlight wire, and I’m walking down the street, and it’s dark,” Baum said. “The community looks down on me when I’m scrapping wire, and my infrastructure gets destroyed, you know.”

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion plans to push for the recycling database legislation again during the next legislative session.