ISRI Warns of Increasing Theft of Infrastructure Metals
05/15/2008 - The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries issues a warning about the increase in theft of ferrous infrastructure metals, which join a growing list of metal materials that have been targets of thieves for several months.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) has issued a warning to city, county, and state governments to be on the lookout for a new wave of material thefts. The association said that it is seeing an increase in the theft of ferrous infrastructure metals, such as manhole covers and sewer/stormwater grates in the past few weeks, joining a growing list of metal materials that have been targets of thieves for several months.
“Government agencies, police, and the public should be on alert that the metal theft epidemic that we have been experiencing for the past two years has now apparently spread to ferrous materials,” said Chuck Carr, ISRI's Vice President of Member Services. ISRI has worked for the past two years to develop tools to help law enforcement fight material theft crimes and to educate stakeholder groups about the need for comprehensive efforts to solving this problem.
ISRI maintains a Theft Alert System that allows the association to notify scrap yards when material theft is reported to the association. This tool, available free to any law enforcement agency, helps recyclers identify stolen material.
In the past two years, thieves have targeted a variety of nonferrous material—primarily copper, bronze, and aluminum. Recently, the system has also begun to receive reports of other target materials.
In addition to its theft alert system, ISRI provides a variety of other tools aimed at reducing material theft. The industry created recommended practices for reducing the risk of accepting stolen materials almost two years ago—long before the crime became a prominent problem. Those practices include establishing cooperative relationships with police and victims, training police on identifying possible stolen material, working with victims groups to help reduce the risk of theft, improving record-keeping and taking identification of sellers to help police track thieves and the materials they steal. The association has also become a member of the National Crime Prevention Council.
"The scrap recycling industry recognizes that it is a stakeholder in reducing material theft," Adams said. "We are working hard to be a part of a solution to a community-wide problem."
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry." The group represents more than 1,500 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, and provides education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development.
