Copper wire thieves are now looking skyward for their quarry, scaling power lines in King County and City of Seattle to cut out the coveted wires and scrap them for money, according to King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. John Urquhart.

Power outages can occur if critical wiring is cut during the high-risk theft.

“The cost is more than financial, as these outages impact customer service and safety,” Sue Anderson, vice president and general manager of CenturyLink in Seattle said in a KCSO press release.

“Hospitals, schools and public safety organizations are all affected as well as residential and business customers. We urge the public to call law enforcement if they see suspicious activity,” Anderson added.

For Burien, KCSO reports 150 feet of cable were cut down near S. 128th and 12th Ave S. on June 2.

In SeaTac, KCSO reports 250 feet of cable cut down from poles in the 3200 block of S. 162nd St on May 2. In that instance 330 telephone customer’s service was affected.

Sgt. Urquhart asks that the public keep an eye out for suspicious pole climbers.