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Partnerships are part of the solution to deterring crime

(Washington, DC) – The more than 1,600 member companies of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) salute the men and women of law enforcement who work each and every day to prevent scrap theft, a crime that has a far reaching effect beyond property damage. Scrap theft is a serious problem in many communities, causing significant damages, interrupting public services, costing millions of dollars in public and private funds, and causing injury. ReMA and its members are vowing to strengthen its partnership with police and offer additional resources to help fight this crime.

“A strong partnership between scrap recyclers and local police is a strong deterrent to metals theft,” said Brady Mills, director of law enforcement outreach for ISRI. “Recyclers are being proactive in educating law enforcement about the industry, providing the resources necessary to help apprehend and prosecute criminals, and continuing to add new tools in the arsenal to fight this serious crime.”

This past spring, ReMA launched an upgraded version of ScrapTheftAlert.com, a free tool for law enforcement that allows police to alert the scrap industry of significant thefts of materials in the United States and Canada. Upon validation and review, alerts are broadcast by email to all subscribed users within a 100 mile radius of where the incident occurred. The system boasts more than 17,000 active users and has recovered nearly $1.4 million in stolen property. One recent example of success occurred last month when Washington State Department of Transportation security issued an alert for three 100 foot rolls of six inch copper flat strap, valued at $17,200. When the thieves tried to sell them to a local recycler, the company called police and arrests were made. The police department was able to recover 95 percent of the materials, which otherwise would have had to be replaced at a cost to taxpayers.

In the last year, ReMA has also created a Law Enforcement Advisory Committee, a select group of experienced law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and security personnel from around the country with an understanding of the metals theft issue. The committee advises ReMA on programming and resources it can offer to the law enforcement community. ReMA also conducts workshops across the country bringing law enforcement and scrap recyclers together to share ideas and discuss ways to work together to reduce scrap theft. The most recent was held earlier this week in Wisconsin.

“The scrap recycling industry is actively working to be part of the solution to metals theft,” said Mills. “ISRI encourages all of its members to reach out to their local police departments and find ways to partner with them and help their communities. We also advise law enforcement to reach out to local scrap dealers to identify things recyclers can be doing to better assist in their cases.”

Also this year, ReMA released its first State Metals Theft Statutes publication, to help recyclers, law enforcement, and other stakeholders better understand the laws that apply in each individual state, and act as an important resource to what other states are doing. Later this spring, ReMA will launch a new website focusing solely on metals theft that will include additional online tools specific to preventing metals theft and assisting law enforcement when crimes do occur.

Law enforcement agencies interested in learning more about how they can partner with local scrap recyclers can contact Brady Mills at (202) 662-8526.

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