Putting the “cop” in copper

In response to the rampant theft of non-ferrous metals, particularly copper, several US states have proposed new laws. Most of these try to restrict the sale of stolen metals by forcing scrap metal dealers to get statements and/or identification from their sellers. This includes vehicle description and plate number, state-issued photo ID, and even fingerprints (Hawaii). Tennessee has proposed requiring scrap dealers to register with the chief of police and sheriff in every jurisdiction in which they conduct business. Washington state wants to prevent dealers from paying cash (cheques only), and to hold the metal (and withhold payment) for 30 days—an effort to crack down on drug users who are hoping for quick cash . [Source: Resource Recycling]

In British Columbia, the City of Richmond, RCMP, municipal police, BC Hydro, BC Transmission Corp, and lower mainland municipalities have joined forces. A bylaw template has been drafted (and adopted by the City of Richmond), requiring scrap buyers to report all transactions to local police, either electronically (in which case purchases will be held for 7 days) or in written form (holding purchases for 21 days).

(May 2007 WasteWatch)

Web Site Cracks Down on Metal Theft

The Institute of Scrap Metal Recycling Industries (ISRI) launched a new website in order to curb metal theft. ScrapTheftAlert.com allows law enforcement to post an alert when metal is stolen, possibly making it easier to apprehend suspects.

Once the alert is posted, it goes out to metal recyclers within 250 miles of the original theft via email. More than 20 different reports have been filed since Sept. 11, 2009, providing details on both the material that was stolen as well as the suspect. The site currently covers both the U.S. and Canada.
ISRI has had an alerting system in place since 2006, but the new system reduces the amount of time required to send out alerts because ISRI staff no longer needs to rewrite all reports prior to publishing.
Metal recyclers can register to receive free alerts by providing their name and contact information.

(Source: August 2009 WasteWatch)

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