Hatch introduces bill to thwart copper thefts
He and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced a bill to force scrap dealers to keep records of the names and addresses of people who sell them copper, maintain descriptions of the copper sold, and to perform transactions of more than $250 by check instead of cash. That can help track people who identify stolen copper and who sold it.
"Sadly, copper is easily turned into cash and a very small percentage of thieves who steal it are ever caught," Hatch said. "That's why thieves — often methamphetamine addicts — have been stealing copper in every form."
Hatch said thieves recently stole 1,700 pounds of copper from an Ogden metal yard, and he said authorities in Utah County arrested a man charged with repeatedly stealing copper from a construction company and selling it by the truckload.
Klobuchar also said that a vacant fourplex in Minneapolis exploded two weeks ago from a natural gas leak caused by stolen copper pipes.
Klobuchar said, "The thieves are going after construction sites in the suburbs, utility lines in the countryside and anywhere they find a vacant house. This is not just property theft. It also can be a matter of life and death."
Savage said the additional restrictions it would place on scrap companies do not take into account efforts the industry has already been making to help law enforcement, and amounts to a pre-election rush "to appear concerned about metal theft."
E-mail: lee@desnews.com
Recent comments
I'm one of the recyclers. Utah state law actually addresses this…
mark@umw.com | Oct. 8, 2008 at 5:08 p.m.
In reading up on this, local law enforcement support this legislation…
homers_84606 | Oct. 7, 2008 at 8:49 p.m.
State laws theft address this just fine.
Now Orrin, go back and…Davis | Oct. 7, 2008 at 2:53 p.m.
