A public utility in Mason County has started labeling its power poles hoisting fiber-optic cables so thieves don’t mistake the lines for expensive copper wire. “It has no scrap value!”The public notice is a step Mason County’s Public Utility District No. In one case, a Thanksgiving Day copper wire theft from underground electrical vaults on the Tahuya Peninsula left around a thousand homes without power. Copper wire theft has also disrupted Sound Transit light rail service this summer. Wire theft is a particular concern in rural areas like Mason County where miles of line are often left unguarded.