West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘Very large’ copper-wire theft shuts down Delridge Playfield

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Delridge Playfield nighttime events have been canceled/relocated TFN because “someone has stolen a very large amount of copper wiring,” according to Seattle Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad. How large? At least 1,200 feet of wiring – which, according to Parks, ran between poles at the playfield. They also believe that the thief/thieves were planning to return – because they had, according to a Parks report, “dismantled more of the system than they were able to take in one session and had broken into other areas preparing to pull even more wire out.” Hammerstad says Parks is asking anyone with information about the theft to call Seattle Police; meantime, the Parks electrical shop is assembling a plan to get the playfield lighting back in operation, but it won’t be easy, says one manager – “this will require research and then a bunch or work to trace and then reinstall this much wire.” No cost estimate yet – we expect to find out more tomorrow.

justme April 15, 2013 (8:52 pm)

Wow, people are desperate.

T April 15, 2013 (8:54 pm)

That’s awful. How long would that take to get that much wire? It’s crazy nobody saw anything.

Been there April 15, 2013 (9:15 pm)

I heard from a Parks employee when thieves stole copper wire at Magnuson Park that they have a special machine or tool that they use to extract the copperwire. Pretty amazing.

justme April 15, 2013 (9:20 pm)

It’s not so easy now to sell it to recycle centers. They don’t pay out until the next day.

Krm66 April 15, 2013 (9:35 pm)

Sounds like some motivated meth addicts.

witness April 15, 2013 (9:56 pm)

This morning at 4 am someone was hacking something (in going to assume it was metal) off my building on avalon/charlestown and drove off in a nice condition white twelve-passenger van with a generic “flooring” logo with a phone number (i couldn’t make it out from where I stood). The Windows are blocked with paper from the inside of the van. I called police but he/she got away before they arrived. Keep your eyes on the lookout for this van and call police if you notice something suspicious happening!

jiggers April 15, 2013 (10:28 pm)

I like to stereotype too.. I also blame the meth addicts for all the copper-wire thieving.

eric1 April 16, 2013 (12:04 am)

The city should rig up their wires with a backup power source to discourage theft. Either that or coat their wires with the stickiest, nastiest, permanent dye lube with when they pull wire through conduits. Damn, I think I just invented a marketable product:)

Joe Szilagyi April 16, 2013 (5:43 am)

Did this park have nighttime lighting? Maybe that would have been a deterrent.

Andy April 16, 2013 (7:49 am)

desperate? No. I prefer the term deadbeat criminal.

Matt April 16, 2013 (8:10 am)

What scumbags. We the Community must be on constant look out for this kind of garbage. The Police are bogged down with so much criminal activity. Community Watch Groups are the only answer. I’m so tired of the graffiti all over town. The Drugs, the stabbings, the shootings. Makes me want to become a Cop so I can help put these losers in Prison where they belong.

GAnative April 16, 2013 (8:40 am)

I wondered why the lights weren’t on at the soccer fields when I picked my daughter up at 8:30pm last night; now I know…

David Kerlick April 16, 2013 (9:35 am)

A recent photo from the hot zone at Chornobyl showed that scavengers were even risking their lives there to get at copper wire.
If the thieves can scale utility poles and take out energized lines, maybe there’s a use for those “portside” camera after all.

brenda April 16, 2013 (9:52 am)

Dirtbags.

smokeycretin9 April 16, 2013 (11:36 am)

It is amazing how hard people work at NOT having to work for a living.

JC April 16, 2013 (11:49 am)

Seems like a person/group doing this won’t stop with one park which means they are bringing copper to buyers again and again. Wonder if Seattle’s Finest are looking at that?

Silly Goose April 16, 2013 (12:10 pm)

Has the city put into place any type of records for people that show up to the recycle yards with large amounts of copper? In the late 60’s this was happening on construction sites and shortly there after you had to show a permit or a construction business liscense to bring in large quantities to the recycle yards!

They are all just a bunch of junkie loosers that I hope get caught or the shock of their life!!

John Drabble April 16, 2013 (12:15 pm)

Why didn’t they wait until the thieves came back, as expected, and arrest them then?

QQman April 16, 2013 (12:17 pm)

I recently found a pile of connectors at the longfellow creek trail greenspace thats on the corner of 26th and Jueneau. Due the proximity, I would assume it’s the same people/person. Will do another run to see if there’s any new garbage there.
At the same time, whoever did this is most likely the scum of the earth, so I don’t know why some people get offended by it, unless you are the criminal doing this. Whoever does this has no respect for the community and should be dealt with by the community.

Photon April 16, 2013 (1:38 pm)

QQman, I have also found evidence of copper stripping at that location.

Mike April 16, 2013 (8:07 pm)

QQman and Photon – I also find evidence of insulation stripping in Delridge. Anywhere there is a place to hide or camp, in the greenspaces, or wooded undeveloped lots the insulation remains are scattered about. These people are losers that I have no sympathy and or compassion for as they do nothing but harm the neighborhood and taxpayers.

Robert April 16, 2013 (9:48 pm)

i would suggest that the police require a picture of the id.card or a good photo of the scrapper that brings ANY copper/aluminum wire. the average load from a respectable scrapper is usually under 50 pounds mixed wire and radiators. electrical remodelers will have a permit.

smokeycretin9 April 17, 2013 (5:32 am)

it is the metal recycling yards that are not following the law. plain and simple.

WSB April 29, 2013 (1:43 pm)

To the commenter who tried to post names of two people, claiming they had been arrested in this case – I can’t find either one on the King County Jail Register, and we don’t publish names, in either comments or stories, without proof people have been charged. If you have any information to share, please e-mail me at editor@westseattleblog.com – you can be anonymous, I just need to know where to start (am also checking with Parks for any new news of arrests) …thanks, TR

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