Copper thieves in Eugene have stolen more than $125,000 worth of aerial cable near Highway 99 N and Randy Papé Beltline over the past several months, according to the Eugene Police Department.

Eugene Airport operations, public safety, health services and residents’ access to 911 and other emergency services could all have been compromised by the thefts, which victimized Lumen, the communications company formerly known as CenturyLink.

“This is not just an issue of theft; it is a public safety issue,” said Mark Molzen, global issues director for Lumen.

Thousands of feet of copper have been stolen in Oregon and it is a growing problem, Molzen said. In 2023, Lumen spent more than $1 million replacing cables.

The people who stole the cable may be using a bucket truck or a lift to access the cable and may attempt to sell the copper to scrap yards or resellers.

According to Lumen, technicians normally use marked vans or trucks when they work on pedestals and cross boxes.

Anyone with a tip that could help with the case was asked to contact Dan Chason, the lead security professional for Lumen at (318)-362-1738 or daniel.chason@lumen.com.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: $125K worth of aerial cable stolen from Lumen in Eugene, Oregon