Police attempt to scrap a new type of crime

WNDU ^ | 08/17/06

[hoosierboy]

Scrap theft is pushing the stats higher, as more and more vacant houses are stripped of metals like copper.

A pound of copper a year ago went for about $1.75, now scrap dealers are paying upwards of $3.00 per pound.

It’s enough to make police rethink their tactics.

Division Chief Darryl Boykins of the South Bend Police Department says, "There’s been a spike in the price of metal and so that's caused a whole new different type of crime now that we have to look at, that, we didn't have to look at that 10 years ago, or even five years ago."

That’s why South Bend police were talking more crime prevention and neighborhood watch programs at Wednesday’s Board of Public Safety meeting.

Boykins says, “The residential burglaries had jumped up from last year to 276, so the numbers are higher, and there's a lot of other factors you have play into that because a lot of these homes are vacant homes. It's not just South Bend where thieves are targeting metal and copper, a little research on line shows that this is a growing problem all over the country. In fact, in Texas, police caught thieves after they cut down a transformer. They were trying to get to the copper inside."

Back here in South Bend, the theft of city manhole covers prompted the city council in April to pass a new scrap metal ordinance.

Scrap yards to report all purchases within 24 hours.

Also required is the seller’s name, finger print, license numbers and an address of where the metal was obtained.

However, some people question whether the plan is truly working, with this crime still on the rise.

Some wonder how police will be able to track copper wiring to a particular theft -- like the one that occurred in the basement of this vacant home on Marion Street.

Until police come up with another strategy, they ask you to be vigilant.

Boykins states, "If you see a car or truck parked in the back of the house for 3 or 4 hours ripping off siding, someone should probably call the police."

[Old Professer]

Well said.

[absolootezer0]

that's the long way to go about explaining it. you could also blame it on contractors trying to get uber cheap material. its been done alot, especially at new work sites. guys will hit new builds at night grabbing materials, tools, anything they can, then turn around and use them, charging people less because it didn't cost them anything.
of course if the MSM reported it, it would probably read "contractors, hit by high gas prices resort to alternative sources of building materials"

[MinuteGal]

Every night lock in about three trained pit bulls in homes and small business buildings under construction. See who wants to break in then.

Leni

[Bones75]

This reminds me so much of a book I'm currently reading: "The Corner", by David Simon and Edward Burns.. GREAT book! Lot's of vivid description of the scrap metal game in the book.

[rabidralph]

I remember reading in Pacific Stars and Stripes, back when Clark AB and Subic Bay were abandonded, the locals stripped all the wiring out for scrap sale and then cut down all the trees.

[rottndog]

There's a huge rise in home air conditioner thefts in Detroit.

Good thing my air conditioner sits in a dog run, where my 2 lovable rottweilers watch over it.

[ASOC]

In the late 80s, when in lived in LV, a big problem was folks going into homes for sale and stripping out the copper wire after, of course, stealing all the cabinets, appliances and so on.

Our neighborhood watch established a reputation of 'pouncing' on stranger or folks not from the area prowling at night & were largely spared.

Now a days, we would likely as not get shot by these toads.....

[Question_Assumptions]

My father grew up during the Depression in a family where had to work to help support his family and do chores for the movie theater so he could see movies for free. It drives him nuts when poor people today, who live for free in buidings his family couldn't afford when he was growing up, rip the buildings apart to, for example, steal the elevator cables. People were migthy poor during the Great Depression and somehow, most of them didn't use it as an opportunity to justify turning to a life of crime, perhaps because the society back then wouldn't accept that excuse.

[Gondring]

I assume you're referring to the old PCB coolant transformers which have been largely replaced with ones using ordinary mineral oil; of course by going back to the mineral oil we now experience some rather impressive explosions and fires when a transformer is ruptured by heat through short-circuit or lightning strike.

That's right! Many people aren't aware of how many hundreds of thousands of those transformer pads are out there, and how many could still have PCB dielectric fluid, and the costs involved in cleanup of even the newer spills.

[Jason_b]

For the record, I wasn't defending the scavengers. My father also grew up poor, the son of a poor dairy farmer; we talk about it at length, often. You are right we have a different society now, a different quality of people. The the people I spoke of in Argentina weren't living a "life of crime," but were normal people thrown into a dilemma, steal or starve. Those in this recent article, it remains to be seen. The point of my post was not to render judgement on people's reactions to economic hardship, I have you for that. I write to explain why manhole covers and copper wiring is monetized in failing economies. The price of copper is not high, the price of the dollar is low and getting lower. That is the problem. The problem will continue and it will continue to spinoff social problems, crime, etc., until the currency is stabilizied and able to perform the function of money, and be a reliable store of wealth. Another way to think of it is that when inflation occurs, a transfer of wealth is taking place, from creditors to debtors. This effect in itself is stealing on a national scale, by the government self-dealing for itself and/or other debtors. It produces pressures that result inevitably in social chaos. Get the government to stop stealing from creditors, then the society will stabilize and private theft and scavenging will be reduced to normal levels consistent with healthy economies as those who can earn an honest living, go back to earning an honest living.

I think it was Keynes who said that the quickest way to overturn the existing basis of a society is to debauch the currency. Well, this is what they are doing, they are debauching the currency. And, predictably, society reacts, negatively. The cure, ultimately, is to fix the monetary policy. Not to wag fingers shame at the poor produced by bad monetary policy.

[CurlyDave]

40 years ago, copper prices went up and childhood neighbor kid tried to steal the main power lead to some sort of factory.

He lost both arms when he discovered it was energized at 440 volts. Tragic, but it cured him of stealing, at least illegally. Now he legally steals disbility from all of us.