Topeka ? The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in dealing with a recent rise in copper thefts.

Capt. Annette Haga told The Wichita Eagle that thieves are taking copper wire from power lines, power pole ground wires and farm pivot irrigator control cables. More thefts have been reported in the last two months.

Haga says anyone seeing suspicious activity in rural locations should call 911 or call the sheriff’s department if they information about recent thefts.

Copper thieves have also hit other areas around Kansas, including Douglas County and Topeka, where law enforcement officials have been pushing legislation that would require scrap metal dealers in Kansas to be licensed.