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Weird News Alert: Who is Stealing Baltimore's Light Poles?

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posted on Nov, 29 2005 @ 08:03 PM
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I find this story very strange, as I'm sure most people would. Someone is stealing the street light poles in Baltimore! Over 130 poles, weighing 250 pounds each, have been stolen over the last eight weeks! No one has been caught, and no one knows who is doing this.

news.yahoo.com...&printer=1

I find it incredible that anyone would have the kahunas to pull this off. These guys are dressing up as city workers and even putting orange cones out to divert traffic. Can you imagine the cost of doing this? You would need a large truck for sure. And they're not being sold as scrap in any junkyards in the area.

I have one theory, but it is very thin. Because I am interested in astronomy, I know how bad city lights make it impossible to gaze at the stars. Some cities have been installing low-pressure sodium lights to reduce the light pollution. Maybe this is a gang of disgruntled astronomers that were unable to convince city officials to change their lights? Wadduya think?

More on LPS lighting.
www.prairieastronomyclub.org...

Oh, BTW, the tin foil hat should go over the thinking cap.



posted on Nov, 29 2005 @ 08:26 PM
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could it be associated with the 'mystery crime waves' that john keel has documented?



posted on Nov, 29 2005 @ 08:26 PM
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I doubt these people are pissed off stargazers (but good theory though).

I think they're selling the aluminum for scrap and probably using or selling the high-powered lights for a marijuana grow operation.



posted on Nov, 29 2005 @ 09:07 PM
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Originally posted by djohnsto77
I doubt these people are pissed off stargazers (but good theory though).


I've been tempted to do things like that myself... I wouldn't put it past some people. If that's who it is, then keep up the great work!



I think they're selling the aluminum for scrap and probably using or selling the high-powered lights for a marijuana grow operation.


Except there have been no reports of the aluminum being sold at scrap yards... And police would be tipped off by the power companies from the surges in power as those lights are turned on and off.



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 12:36 AM
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Any new estates being built in a neighbouring town?

This sounds like something Shelbyville would do!



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 12:44 AM
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Your theory reminds me of an article I read while in college. An astrophysicist graduate student, trying to impress a date accessed the little metal panel at the base of a street light and went to cut the power with bolt cutters so that they could do some stargazing. I guess he thought he could impress her with both his rebel attitude and Ursa Major. Anyway, the poor bastard got FRIED right there. I always thought this guy should have been nominated for a Darwin award. I mean, talk about humiliating, he was trying to show how clever he was and got zapped for it.


XL5

posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 01:04 AM
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Maybe they don't have lights in thier area and they still have childhood fears.

Yellow-orange light isn't that great for growing weed, maybe they are using/selling them as therapeutic skin healing devices.



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 01:18 AM
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I think its Aliens and the poles are used to repair their spaceship so they can finally get off this scary planet before we either find them, or blow the planet up.



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 06:08 AM
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Originally posted by Nagell
could it be associated with the 'mystery crime waves' that john keel has documented?

Well, I don’t see a connection to anything John Keel wrote about. Maybe you could elaborate. I think it probably involves entities of the human type.


Originally posted by djohnsto77
I think they're selling the aluminum for scrap and probably using or selling the high-powered lights for a marijuana grow operation.

I think most streetlights are mercury vapor, and wouldn’t be any good for growing plants. That was a good idea that I hadn’t thought of, but from the pictures I saw, some of the poles were sheared off at the base, so I don’t think they couldn’t be re-used as light poles.


Originally posted by cmdrkeenkid
I've been tempted to do things like that myself... I wouldn't put it past some people. If that's who it is, then keep up the great work!

Same here. My neighbor has a street light on the front of her garage that I have thought about taking out.


Who ever it is, I don't think they are doing it for money. The operation would be too expensive, and the return on investment doesn't look too good. No, I think whoever it is, is sending a message to someone like city officials. Just the number of poles (130) that would be enough to light a football field I think.

edit: I just did some calculations. Scrap aluminum goes for around 60 cents a pound, and the poles weigh 250 pounds, that would be about $150 a pole, and 130 poles, for a total of $19,500. I guess there are people that would be willing to risk 5 to 10 years for that.

[edit on 11/30/2005 by Hal9000]



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 06:53 AM
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Originally posted by informatu
Anyway, the poor bastard got FRIED right there. I always thought this guy should have been nominated for a Darwin award. I mean, talk about humiliating, he was trying to show how clever he was and got zapped for it.

See, these are the senseless injuries that could be avoided, if people would just listen to astronomers and change those lights.



Originally posted by XL5
Maybe they don't have lights in thier area and they still have childhood fears.

I considered this from a psychopathic, I mean the psychological viewpoint, but came up with nothing. You may be on to something there.


Originally posted by Ambient Sound
I think its Aliens and the poles are used to repair their spaceship so they can finally get off this scary planet before we either find them, or blow the planet up.

Well I think after Roswell, they now have their own form of roadside assistance, so that would rule out aliens. But this crime does sound like the motive could be otherworldly.



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 06:58 AM
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It New Orleans Cops........the poles are being taken to rebuild the armpit city............



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 07:45 AM
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I've seen some shifty eyed Canadians lurking about....One must be vigilent.



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 04:20 PM
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Originally posted by Hal9000

Originally posted by Nagell
could it be associated with the 'mystery crime waves' that john keel has documented?

Well, I don’t see a connection to anything John Keel wrote about. Maybe you could elaborate. I think it probably involves entities of the human type.


keel writes in 'disneyland of the gods(amok press 1988)' in the chapter 'mysterious crime waves':


"For the past five years someone has been ripping off antique weather vanes in New England. Literally ripping them off old barns and houses. Some antique weather vanes date back to the early 1700's and are valuable collector's items. According to eyewitnesses, our phantom burglars fly over the old farms in a helicopter and actually lasso the weather vanes with a rope and wrench them off their roofs. Housewives and farmers, alerted by the noisy engines, have dashed outside just in time to see a bright orange chopper rising upwards, a prize weather vane snarled in a dangling rope."



"In 1973, a five ton wrecking ball belonging to the Dowling Construction Co. in Indianapolis, Indiana suddenly vanished. Workmen had left it hanging 200 feet in the air from a crane."


there are others...



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 05:49 PM
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What are the locations of the light poles in question? Maybe they make a shape/symbol/word etc that might be a clue (or distraction).

Unless they are setting up some kind of sports place and they can't afford stadium lighting lol.



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 08:06 PM
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Originally posted by Nagell
keel writes in 'disneyland of the gods(amok press 1988)' in the chapter 'mysterious crime waves':

How bizarre. Did they ever catch the rodeo chopper perps? Probably not, otherwise it wouldn't be a mystery.




"In 1973, a five ton wrecking ball belonging to the Dowling Construction Co. in Indianapolis, Indiana suddenly vanished. Workmen had left it hanging 200 feet in the air from a crane."


there are others...

That is too weird. I may have to check out that book. Thanks for the info.



Originally posted by TheShroudOfMemphis
This sounds like something Shelbyville would do!

Is that Shelbyville, Indiana? They probably took that 5 ton wrecking ball.



Originally posted by llama009
What are the locations of the light poles in question? Maybe they make a shape/symbol/word etc that might be a clue (or distraction).

Good question, but I don't know. They didn't say anything about locations.

I wonder if they will ever catch these guys. Usually bandits will keep stealing until they get caught. Now that this has hit the news, someone will turn them in. If not, maybe they will start stealing something else. Who knows, maybe they will start stealing guard rails next.



posted on Nov, 30 2005 @ 10:00 PM
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I used to do line work, outside electrical work etc.. which included both putting up and taking down light poles. I can tell you that with the right equipment and basic knowledge its not hard at all, and doesnt take long. A few guys with a decent truck with a small crane could probably get one down in a few minutes. i'm a bit suprised that 100's of them have disappeared and nobody has seen anything
Someoe could be taking them for the scap value or to reuse or resell somewhere else in the country or world. If I were an investigator I would invest in some cheap cameras to monitor certain areas and I would also look around the giant port in baltimore looking for some poles. Maybe terrorists need them for some diabolical plan



posted on Dec, 1 2005 @ 12:08 AM
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I can just see them catching the people now.

Police:We're arresting you for theft of poles blah blah blah
crim:I didn't do it
police:this is your house, and there are the poles
crim: I don't know how 100 poles got into my shed....honest.



posted on Dec, 1 2005 @ 07:01 AM
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Originally posted by djohnsto77
I doubt these people are pissed off stargazers (but good theory though).

I think they're selling the aluminum for scrap and probably using or selling the high-powered lights for a marijuana grow operation.



I rarely agree with you, but you hit the nail on the head with that. What better way to get grow lights, untraceable grow lights. No operation green merchant for those guys, and they saved a 1,000.00 per light. Plus all the money they are going to make on the scrapes.



posted on Dec, 1 2005 @ 12:12 PM
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Originally posted by warpboost
I used to do line work, outside electrical work etc.. which included both putting up and taking down light poles. I can tell you that with the right equipment and basic knowledge its not hard at all, and doesnt take long.

It just occurred to me, maybe these are some ex-utility guys? Maybe they worked for the electric company, and were fired or something. Streetlights are not something that the average person can steal. But like you said, with the right equipment and knowledge, it would be easy. The equipment alone would cost big bucks though. But maybe they stole the truck too.

So where were you on the night of the ....?




posted on Dec, 1 2005 @ 04:27 PM
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quite a wierd story...
since this is a conspiracy website i'll throw this out... all cities run on a budget and if that budget isn't all spent, the next years budget gets smaller so in order to keep the same budget alot of cities redo roads and other maintinance to pretty much waste money to prove that they need money. So maybe the city is actually taking down its own poles and claiming they were stolen, so they can install new ones and keep their cushy budget.. ???

but what do i know ?



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