Who *buys* this stuff? Can’t they do like a background check or something? I’m kind of not being sarcastic.
If someone thinks that what they have might be identifiable, just break it up, melt it, or crush it.
Scrap dealers know exactly where the stuff comes from. They don’t care.
After the air conditioners were ripped off, the churches put in new ones and anchored 2/6 poles around them. Thieves could probably pull them up with a vehicle, but we are hoping that the extra work involved will deter them.
If a scrap yard gets the heads up on such things, they will keep an eye out for it. If they see someone comming in with a pickup load of scrap brass valves and they have been alerted, they are required to call authorities and report it as they can be hooked for recieving stolen goods and lose their business Lic. And you wouldnt believe how helpful scrap yards are on this.
Even if the brass is broken they can tell if its valves or whatever because there are parts in valves that ID the things as such. Most thiseves are way to lazy to melt things down as it would cost them more to do that than simply taking the stuff in as is. Stupid..it is costing them more going around getting this stuff than they are making...I.E. gas and etc. As to wire..lots of places require you to strip the wire and if you dont you get paid near nothing for it compared to stripping it and bringing in bare wire.
Its most likely locals doing this.
Same folks that steal mountain bikes & car stereo’s in the cities: those who choose to rip off goods they can anonymously liquidate so they con fund their next meth fix. Human parasites.
I live in Kingman AZ, a smallish city. It is getting more difficult for the local methheads to sell scrap metal here. I.D. requirements, signatures, adresses of sellers, etc. Who buys the stuff? Dealers who know exactly where it comes from and just don’t give a damn.