The scrap metal theft rate in Syracuse is as high as it's ever been, say Syracuse police.
The increasing rate correlates to rising prices in the world markets for copper, aluminum and other valuable metals. Syracuse police say the rising theft rate has prompted them to launch Operation Copperhead, an initative that uses detectives previously assigned to pawn shop investigations.
"In 2007, with the information we were provided, we were involved in at least 15 arrests, so that has to be making a difference," said Russ Gower, president of Central New York Resource Recovery. Gower said his company, which specializes in metal recycling, lost nearly $20,000 in one incident of theft.
Police say they have urged more contractors in Syracuse to specifically mark the metals in their buildings, which would make the materials more secure.
"We have been very successful with peoiple who have been spray painting pipes with unique colors so that we can trace it back if it does end up at [CNY Resource Recovery]," said Syracuse Police Sgt. Tom Connellan.
Connellan said Operation Copperhead has been effective so far, but it hasn't reduced the amount of thefts.
"We are seeing, on average, ten to 15 burglaries a week that involve some type of metal, copper pipes, things along those lines."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment