If you live on the planet Earth and are literate you undoubtedly have read about how scrap metal theft has reached epidemic proportions.  From railway metal to copper piping to a complete friggin’ bridge, thieves are rounding up as much metal as they can steal.

This has created a new problem of theft – at the scrap metal locations buying the stolen scrap metal.  Hmm, how is that for irony?

No Public Sympathy

Scrap metal dealers are sometimes confounded by a public relations problem.

The scrap recycling business did about $77 billion in the United States last year and some people think the dealers willingly buy stolen goods. Although a few do, that isn't true for most dealers, insists Jim Tomson and John Greco, who own scrap yards in the Alle-Kiski Valley.

Most dealers cooperate with police when they find stolen metal is being brought to them, said Harrison police Chief Mike Klein and other officers.

Three local men are accused of selling about $151,000 of nickel steel to Lawrenceville scrap dealer David Michael Spaid, 55.

In another case, three other local men are separately accused of stealing tons of titanium steel from the mill.

Combining Resources

Greco is a member of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, whose ScrapTheftAlert.com alerts people about scrap thefts and gives dealers and citizens a place to report thefts.

Even so, it often tough for dealers or their employees to detect thefts.  Sometimes employees can see that metal brought to them is apparently stolen, but sometimes it's not so easy.

"Our business is to buy scrap and we only want to buy legitimate scrap," Tomson said. "But there are gray areas," said Tomson, who employs 22 at scrap yards in Brackenridge and Harrison.

State Law Helps

State laws are working to help dealers.  The law requires all scrap dealers to record the driver's license data for all sales of $100 or more. Some dealers also take photos of the license plates of vehicles that brought the steel, copper or aluminum to the yard.

There is no doubt many people don't like telling scrap yard employees from where the scrap was taken.  That should raise the cockles for sure!

Not surprisingly, two repeat thieves who tried to sell the steel they had just stolen were already banned from being on his property because they took metal from him before. Scrap dealers use surveillance cameras to discourage theft, but it still happens. 

Let’s hope that scrap metal dealers and law enforcement officials continue to work together to curb the sale of stolen metals as much as possible.  Maybe it’s just me, but there needs to be larger penalties for dealers buying stolen goods.  While I am usually not for more regulation, perhaps this industry needs some oversight.