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n/a
deleted
81 Posts |
 Posted - 09/12/2008 : 03:33:42
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Police in Ohio are about to get help in trying to crackdown on scrap metal thieves who steal aluminum siding off houses and copper wiring from basements.
Scrap metal sellers will be required to show a photo ID beginning Thursday and must prove that they own items such as guard rails and beer kegs. State lawmakers set the requirements to slow a wave of metal thefts brought on by climbing metal prices.
"We're hoping its going to clean up the industry," said Ted Altfeld, president of Bluestar Metal Recycling in Elyria. "If everybody is playing by the same rules, I feel a lot better."
Thieves no longer are content to steal metal pipes and radiators out of vacant homes. They've swiped railroad tracks in southwest Ohio, an air conditioner unit from atop a police union hall in Toledo and catalytic converters from cars parked in downtown Cincinnati.
A year ago, a northeast Ohio man was electrocuted while trying to steal copper from a power substation.
No one expects that new state law will completely stop the thefts.
But it will give police a place to turn for information; scrap yards will be required to keep a log of who brings in metal to sell. And it will create statewide standards, stopping thieves from taking metal into towns where there are no rules.
Many scrap yards already required a photo ID.
Altfeld said his employees watch closely what people bring and will alert police if they're suspicious.
"We've had a number of people taken away in handcuffs from here," Altfeld said.
How well the law works will depend on whether it is enforced across the state, said Josh Joseph, vice president of Muskingum Iron and Metal in Zanesville.
The problem is that scrap metal is easy to move.
"The criminals that are stealing this are smart enough to know where they get rid of the metal," Joseph said.
Dayton has required scrap yards to keep detailed records about the customers they buy from since 2006. The information has been a tremendous help, said detective Jamie Bullens, who investigates scrap metal crimes.
Scrap dealers work closely with police and let them know when they hear about operators willing to buy stolen items, Bullens said.
The state law is "going to give law enforcement agencies a little bit bigger bite," he said.
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moboman
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2555 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2008 : 12:05:40
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The scrap yard I go to already requires an ID. But some around here dont. I bet they wont after this law goes into affect either.
One time i was actually asked about what I was bringing in. I was cleaning out the garage so that I could fit another car in. I obtained all the wire from a couple of jobs. Some of it was the left over scrap and some of it was the nasty old stuff we ripped out.
I figure they have no right to be nosy, especially since the wire i was bringing in was mostly datacomm wire.. Why would i go to all the trouble to steal something that is worth $.35/lb? |
"99% of all lawyers give the rest of them a bad name" 
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Treasurekidd
Penny Sorter Member
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2008 : 16:25:12
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| The yard I go to hasn't asked yet, and I don't know about others around here, as I only go to the one yard. Their prices are always highest when I call, so they get my business. I can see it starting here soon, though. Doesn't matter to me anyway, I've got nothing to hide. So long as they don't sent the reciept to the IRS. |
Ebay Stuff: http://shop.ebay.com/pktchng/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25 |
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B-Power-B
Penny Pincher Member
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2008 : 16:49:01
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Haha You hit the nail right on the head Trasurekidd "I've got nothing to hide. So long as they don't sent the reciept to the IRS."
All the yards around my me have been requiring ID for about a year now. And all sales over $30 require a 11 day hold and then they send the check in the mail. It really sucks but I do not have anything to hide.
The newest yard I go to has given me a customer ID # which is cool (I think). This helps them know what they gave me last time and by history I feel they know the weight I bring them and the prices I demand.
The laws have their pros and their cons. |
Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
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Ardent Listener
Administrator
USA
4841 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2008 : 19:28:00
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| My brother-in-law owns a plumbing business and the IRS has already asking him what he does with his scap copper! |
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Think positive. |
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fb101
Administrator
USA
2856 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2008 : 19:29:09
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quote:
The laws have their pros and their cons.
So do the scrapyards!
(Professionals and convicts) |
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Edited by - fb101 on 09/12/2008 19:31:19 |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2008 : 00:16:25
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They check my ID at the yard, but it is just a formality. They know me and I come in my work van and it is obvious that I didn't steal any of my scrap. They pay cash immediately. For now....
Deal |
Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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Steiner
Penny Collector Member
Canada
278 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2008 : 00:29:43
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Does this not open up a venue for black marketing of these goods? You give your scrap to a guy who does have ID and a 5 ton truck, he moves it out to the scrap yard and takes his cut. On a larger scale it could be doable.
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Steiner |
Edited by - Steiner on 09/13/2008 00:30:30 |
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NotABigDeal
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - 09/13/2008 : 10:23:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Steiner
Does this not open up a venue for black marketing of these goods? You give your scrap to a guy who does have ID and a 5 ton truck, he moves it out to the scrap yard and takes his cut. On a larger scale it could be doable.
You are right it does open up a door for a black market. In fact I'm sure it happens. The scrap yard I go to is in the ghetto. I'm always watched like a hawk by the guys with an aluminum antenna and some scrap guttering in a box. They are basically drooling over my large lots of a/c coils and copper. Once a guy said he knew where a lot of units were sitting unattended. Said he need a box truck like the one I was in. Of course I passed, but if he asked a guy in a company truck and company clothes, I'm sure he found a civilian taker. Doubt he is the only one out there doing it....
Deal |
Live free or die.
Plain and simple.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your council or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
- Samuel Adams |
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moboman
1000+ Penny Miser Member
USA
2555 Posts |
Posted - 09/14/2008 : 00:01:13
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I have an astro cargo van...You'd think they wouldnt ask questions, but it happens.
I let someone borrow the van last week, he was at a junkyard and was asked about my computer setup...he said it was surveillance.  A DVR and 4 cameras is my next mod. I already have both. |
"99% of all lawyers give the rest of them a bad name"
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New Ohio law aims to slow down scrap metal thefts
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