St. Paul Public Works notified the City Council it will spend $300,000 of already-budgeted money to combat the rising number of copper wire thefts from thousands of street lights across the city.

The reallocation will go toward hiring two more seasonal workers and vehicle rental costs.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS copper thefts from street lights are now stretching across the county.

Ramsey County Sheriff’s Deputy Alicia Ouellette said two streets in Shoreview were hit twice by thieves who stole copper wire from 50 street lights. The financial loss in January alone was “significant,” she said.

“In January, it was roughly about $230,000. So a significant amount, but that was just on the low end,” Ouellette said. “There’s probably a couple hundred thousand dollars more.”

Some of the thieves, Ouellette said, are the same people who were involved in stealing catalytic converters in recent years.

“Then those catalytic converter guys, who just want that extra buck, what’s the next easiest crime? And that’s what we’re seeing,” Ouellette said.