We had this happen in Hawaii about a year ago. Copper thieves have darkened stretches of roadway and shut down communicatios as a result of their efforts.

On the bright side, we had two cases where copper thieves cut into live wires. Unfortunately both lived to tell about it but you won't want to see what they look like now. One of the incidents occurred near my office. Lights flickered and went out. Later, on the evening news there was an eyewitness telling a reporter about it. He said the thief ran screaming down the street with the flesh on his arms hanging off like rags.

Unfortunately that hasn't deterred copper theft in the least.

I'm a dorky little Asian guy. I carry 3 knives on me and have trained in Kali and Silat for over 15 years. Not much of a problem here, thanks.

BTW, I carry 3 knives now, but I used to carry only 2. A few years ago, I was the target of a mugging attempt. The fellow ran off with one of my knives stuck in his leg. Bummer. I liked that knife.