Driving the news: Thieves ripped apart two rooftop air-conditioning units at Seattle's Taproot Theatre, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and forcing the nonprofit to replace its entire HVAC system, per the Business Journal.
In another case, police are searching for a man who allegedly impersonated a Seattle City Light worker while trying to steal copper wire from the West Seattle Bridge.
The big picture: Copper prices have climbed roughly 50% in the past two years, making the metal increasingly attractive to thieves, the Business Journal reports.
Zoom in: Dan Chason, who oversees theft and vandalism protection for telecommunication giant Lumen Technologies, told the Business Journal copper theft is especially bad in the Pacific Northwest.
He said the company lost $1.8 million to theft and vandalism in Washington state this year.
What's next: Utilities, law enforcement and businesses want Washington's Legislature to increase penalties for copper theft and tighten rules for scrap metal dealers.
