NCJ Number
225545
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 35 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 40,42,45
Date Published
October 2008
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the increase in material theft, specifically metals and the challenge it presents to law enforcement in combating and preventing material theft crime.
Abstract
Material theft poses a clear threat to the public and its pocketbooks. Material theft can affect utilities, businesses and civilians alike. When addressing material theft, this article examines the theft of metals: cooper and brass piping, aluminum siding and gutters, and even storm sewer grates and manhole covers. These malleable metals can be manipulated into different forms, making them nearly unrecognizable from their original state. To combat this theft, Philadelphia implemented intelligent-led policing with crime maps to detect transit patterns and a Georgia-based company designed a devise to lock down and secure metals, such as manhole covers. In addition, Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) coordinated a partnership with the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and published a report directed to the Institute’s scrap-dealer members on effective techniques for combating this crime. Lastly, ISRI is developing a geographically based Web site to automatically create an alert to scrap yards within a 200-mile radius of the reported theft. To combat material theft crime it is essential that officers communicate with residents, make them aware of the problem and instruct them on what to do if they encounter suspicious activity.