Police Confirm Copper Wire Theft From Golis Park

Brian Masterson, who heads the city's police and fire, said Tuesday night that the department is installing video surveillance cameras at Golis Park, less than two weeks after all copper wiring was stripped from the light fixtures near the sports field.

The incident has caused the city to cancel all evening sports games or practice.

"It appears vandals used a vehicle, probably a truck, to pull copper wire from the lights," Masterson said. "They took a large amount, and it did a lot of damage — we're estimating between $5,000 and $8,000."

Masterson said although copper wire theft isn't regular in Rohnert Park, in Petaluma recently wiring has been stolen, and in often if people are successful at stealing one time, they're likely to try again.

"We're installing video cameras in hopes that if people are brazen enough to come back, we'll catch them," he said. "Sometimes they do that, because they know the city is going to replace it."

One Rohnert Park resident noticed the wiring had been taken the morning after the incident, on Oct. 1. Police are encouraging anyone who sees any suspicious activity, that they call the Department of Public Safety at 707-584-2600.

Correction: This article originally stated the copper wiring theft caused between $500 and $800 damage. It was in fact, between $5,000 and $8,000.