Photo: Saint Paul Police Department
Published: October 22nd 2026.
SAINT PAUL - Three men were arrested after St. Paul police allegedly caught them stealing copper wiring from streetlights near Arcade Street over the weekend, with assistance from the department's Real Time Information Center (RTIC) and drone technology.
According to the St. Paul Police Department, officers assigned to the Eastern District noticed three adult men near a streetlight with exposed wiring. An officer requested assistance from RTIC, which deployed a drone to monitor the situation.
Police said the drone captured the men allegedly pulling copper wiring from an access point on the streetlights.
As officers responded to the location, one of the men fled on foot. Police said RTIC personnel used the drone to track the fleeing suspect and relay his location to officers on the ground.
All three men were subsequently taken into custody. Police reported recovering a firearm from the man who fled.
According to the department, the men were arrested on various suspected offenses, including felony criminal damage to property and possession of a firearm with an altered serial number. Police did not specify which allegations applied to each man.
The department credited coordination between patrol officers and RTIC personnel for the arrests, emphasizing the role of its docked drone program in identifying and tracking the suspects.
Copper wire theft from streetlights has been an ongoing concern in St. Paul, with thieves targeting electrical wiring inside streetlight infrastructure.
Source: St. Paul Police Department