May/June 2012
An ISRI-supported Theft-Alert system helps scrap recyclers, law-enforcement officers, and other stakeholders get the word out about stolen materials, and dozens of success stories demonstrate that it works.
By Gary Bush
Scrap recyclers continue to battle against the theft and illicit sale of everything from copper pipe to plastic milk crates to catalytic converters. Unfortunately, recyclers can get hit on both sides of the problem, as buyers of material they could not identify as stolen and as victims of thefts from their own yards. Fortunately, they and other stakeholders have a tool to help combat the problem—ScrapTheftAlert.com, an online notification system ReMA and the Canadian Association of Recycling Industries (Ajax, Ontario) launched in 2008. Recyclers, law-enforcement officers, and others can use the system to broadcast alerts about stolen materials to everyone signed up to receive the alerts in a 100-mile radius.
More than 13,000 people in the United States and Canada have registered to use
ScrapTheftAlert.com, and users have issued nearly 7,000 alerts to date. The system has led to 53 arrests or warrants for arrest and the recovery of property worth an estimated $365,000—and reports of additional successes continue to come in. In short, ScrapTheftAlert.com works to catch thieves, recover stolen property, and demonstrate that the scrap recycling industry is part of the solution to this persistent problem. The following success stories from 2011 and 2012 are examples of the system in action. To generate more results like these, reach out to your local law-enforcement officials and tell them about ScrapTheftAlert.com. The more people who use the system, the more effective it will be.
Bay City Rollers. Trooper Brad Campbell of the Michigan State Police issued an alert Jan. 31 for the theft of four heavy-duty industrial batteries, three marine batteries, and two rolls of Romex copper wire from Tawas City, Mich. On Feb. 8, Mike Davis of OmniSource Bay City (Bay City, Mich.) recognized material entering the yard that matched the description in the alert. Dwayne Moore of OmniSource contacted the Bay City Police Department and advised officers about the suspicious material. At the request of the police, Davis and Moore stalled the suspects until officers reached the facility. The recyclers showed the officers the theft alert in question. After further investigation, the police arrested the two subjects and recovered the stolen property.
Strut Your Stuff. In Portsmouth, R.I., an alert went out Jan. 24 about the theft of bronze boat struts valued at approximately $20,000. Berger Recycling (Pawtucket, R.I.) had purchased the material as scrap prior to the alert, but shortly after seeing the theft announcement the company contacted the struts’ owner and the Portsmouth Police Department. Because of its customary buying procedures, Berger Recycling had photo identification of the suspect as well as video footage from its security camera of the sales transaction and the suspect’s vehicle. Portsmouth Police Detective Scott Travers used that information to locate and arrest the perpetrator. The police recovered the stolen material and returned it to the owner, who reimbursed Berger Recycling for the material.
Taking Out the Trash. Detective Peter Vanwormer of the Elyria (Ohio) Police Department submitted an alert Dec. 5, 2011, for the Nov. 29 theft of squirrel-cage blowers and aluminum fan blades. Rick Leikin of Elyria Recycling contacted Vanwormer to let him know he had seen the alert and had received the material—delivered in a gray, 65-gallon City of Elyria commercial garbage can—at his facility the same day as the theft. Vanwormer also received a call from Judy Woody of Blue Star Recycling in Elyria, who had seen the alert and recognized the material as scrap from one of her company’s regular suppliers, a local company that makes the blowers for furnaces. Though none of the property from this theft was recovered, the police identified three suspects and issued warrants for their arrest. The police also linked the suspects to two other thefts—one in Elyria and one in nearby North Ridgeville, Ohio—and charged them for those crimes as well. (The other thefts had not been reported to ScrapTheftAlert.com.)
They Saw the Sign. Detective Vincent Ross of the Auburn (Mass.) Police Department issued an alert Jan. 11 about a stolen sign pole valued at $700. Ross provided a photo of the pole and a surveillance photo of the vehicle used in the theft. Francis Martin of Goldstein Scrap Metal (Worcester, Mass.) received the alert and—even though the stolen material did not come to his facility—he recognized the vehicle from its previous visits to the Goldstein yard. Martin contacted Ross with information on the vehicle’s driver from his company’s database. Ross contacted the suspect and identified that individual as the thief. The perpetrator made restitution to the victim, who then declined to prosecute, and the case was closed.
Framed! On Jan. 5, Dan Coiner of Nexikon (Calhoun, Ga.) submitted an alert regarding the Jan. 3 theft of aluminum plates and milled picture frames valued at $20,000. After receiving the theft alert, Chuck Clark of Clark Iron & Metal Co. (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) noticed that a subject had brought material to his facility that matched the description and contacted Detective Kevin Sutton of the Calhoun Police Department. After identifying the material as the products listed in the alert, the police made one arrest and recovered the stolen goods.
California Stealin’. Detective Dennis Smith of the Ventura County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Office posted a theft alert Jan. 6 regarding stolen cast-iron tractor counterweights valued at $6,450. On Jan. 9, a subject arrived at SA Recycling’s facility in Oxnard, Calif., with material matching the description in the alert. Moises Morales of SA Recycling immediately notified the sheriff’s office, and Detective Ray Dominguez brought in the victims, who identified the stolen material as their property. Morales gave Dominguez all of the company’s information on the transaction, with which Dominguez was able to locate and arrest the perpetrator. The property was returned to its owner.
Cable Guys. AT&T Security Analyst Paul Meisnitzer and Detective Lawrence Novak of the Waterford (Mich.) Police Department issued a theft alert May 12, 2011, regarding the theft of telecommunications cable valued at $55,000. Andrew Quigley of Resource Recovery Solutions (Pontiac, Mich.) contacted Novak, reporting that his company had purchased the listed wire. The photos AT&T included in the alert provided distinguishing features of the material, such as inventory tags and writing on the cable, making it easier for Quigley to positively identify the material. “In such theft cases, a picture truly is worth a thousand words,” Quigley says. Thanks to the recycler’s recordkeeping, Novak was able to identify and charge the perpetrator, and AT&T recovered its stolen property.
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? Sgt. Rick Davidson of the Brown County (Wis.) Sheriff’s Office issued an alert Sept. 26, 2011, about the theft of 163 bronze flower vases, worth more than $16,300, from a local cemetery. The alert went out at 10:29 a.m., and by approximately 1:30 p.m., Steve Napoleone of Sadoff Iron & Metal Co. (Green Bay, Wis.) noticed someone from a recycling company in a nearby county unloading material that matched the description in the alert. The other recycling company had purchased the material from a seller in its county and had contacted local law-enforcement officials, who had no knowledge of the theft. After the other recycling company provided information on the seller, Napoleone contacted Davidson, who identified the property, recovering 119 of the 163 vases. Authorities say the investigation of the crime is ongoing.
Brace Yourself. When metal braces disappeared from a bridge construction site in Marion County, Fla., Detective John Warmuth of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office broadcast an alert Dec. 16, 2011. An alert about the theft of similar material had gone out Nov. 21. A scrap recycling company in Jacksonville, Fla., notified Detective William Katsacos of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after it discovered that it had the material in question. Katsacos subsequently contacted Warmuth. Authorities identified the braces as the stolen material and returned the items to their owner. Law-enforcement officials subsequently arrested two suspects for the November and December thefts.
Pipe Up. On Oct. 1, 2011, a Denver warehouse discovered that $10,000 to $15,000 of copper pipe had been stolen. Chris Cunis of Skyport Development Co. issued a theft alert Oct. 4, including a description and photos of the material in question. After receiving the theft alert, David Miesem of All Recycling (Englewood, Colo.) and what he calls his “observant crew” realized that the company had purchased the material the previous Saturday, the day the theft occurred. Miesem contacted the investigating officer, Detective Mark Mathews of the Denver Police Department, and gave him information about the transaction, which led to the arrest of two subjects.
These are just a few examples of the many success stories of the ScrapTheftAlert.com system. Though it can’t eliminate thefts altogether, it’s an invaluable—and free—tool recyclers, law-enforcement officials, and other stakeholders can use to minimize the problem.
Gary Bush is ISRI’s director of materials theft prevention and national law-enforcement liaison.
For more information about ScrapTheftAlert.com or to subscribe to the free, nationwide system, visit www.ScrapTheftAlert.com. For more about ISRI’s theft-prevention policies and procedures, visit www.isri.org/theft.
Light Up Your Life
Officer John Hokanson of the Minneapolis Police Department issued an alert Aug. 11, 2011, about the theft of 21 bronze or brass fixtures from historic-replica street lights, an ongoing problem that had cost the city more than $1,000 at the time. Hokanson issued a second alert Oct. 12 requesting information from any recycling operation that had handled similar material. The thefts had continued, with the estimated losses at that point exceeding $70,000. Hokanson reissued the alert Nov. 4, noting that the problem was ongoing and that the authorities suspected the thieves were selling these items in the region. Tony White of Northern Metal Recycling (St. Paul, Minn.) contacted Hokanson after two fellow employees—Jerrold Bader and Pedro Ramos—reported that three subjects had brought similar material to the facility. Authorities identified the material as the stolen property. Matt Woessner of K&K Metal Recycling (Minneapolis) reported suspects had brought similar material to his yard. The police identified one suspect in the case, and there is a standing pickup order for the individual. Thus far, authorities have recovered about 50 of the estimated 70 to 90 stolen fixtures.
Have You Caught a Thief?
ISRI wants to know! Send examples of how your company has used ScrapTheftAlert.com—or how you otherwise have worked with law-enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to catch thieves—to Gary Bush, ISRI’s director of materials theft prevention and national law-enforcement liaison, at garybush@isri.org, or call him at 352/433-2477.