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Police tell owners to put markings on metal items
Warren Police Detective Justin Soroka has a thick file of scrap metal-related thefts that seems to get a little thicker daily.
Property owner and landlord George Papalios’ name appears as a victim in Soroka’s files more times than either man can remember.
Papalios and Soroka do not agree on exactly how to combat scrap-metal theft, but both men are among those who believe that a new state law aimed at addressing the issue will not stop the growing problem.
The law calls for more accountability in scrap-metal sales, requiring scrap-metal businesses to record names and identifying information from anyone selling the metals.
Law enforcement from areas with high scrap-metal theft such as Warren, Youngstown and Girard are happy to see state lawmakers put something in place to handle scrap-metal theft, but all feel the criminals will still try to work around the law.
Soroka said one missing piece is identification — not of people, but of the stolen material. Once the material is stolen, he said, there is no way under the law of determining from where it came.
“If we have a house with all the metal ripped out and someone with identification selling copper, there is no way to identify that metal as the metal that was stolen,” Soroka said.
He suggests that anyone with a home, business or empty building containing metal piping that could be stolen put markings on the metal material. He said the thieves will be unaware of the markings and they can be used to identify the metal later.
Papalios followed Soroka’s advice and managed to recover a large quantity of metal piping stolen from his homes. He scoured local scrap yards until someone brought the material in to sell it. Warren police then arrested that would-be purveyor of stolen goods.
“A lot of these people will steal anything they can get their hands on. It’s just ridiculous,” Soroka added. “The new law does help, but it is just better to put an identifying mark on any metal or copper that might get stolen.”
Detecive David Santangelo of the Youngstown Police Department said he has seen homes where half the pipes were painted. Thieves did not touch the painted pipes, but stole the rest, he said.
Detective Greg Manente of the Girard Police Department also agrees that it is difficult to identify where the stolen items may have been taken from, but he also sees another area of the law where thieves are looking for a loophole.
Under the new state law, local law enforcement can provide scrap yards with a list of people known to deal in stolen scrap metal. The scrap yards are then prohibited from purchasing scrap metal from anyone on that list.
Manente said some thieves have begun to try to circumvent that stipulation in the law by having someone else take the material to the scrap yards for sale. He said some yards are requiring an identification number from each seller in their own system to prevent such activity, but the scrap metal mischiefs are still sneaking through.
“I would like to see them [lawmakers] require some sort of license to sell [scrap metal],” Manente said. “This is such an epidemic, they need to apply more restrictions.”
Santangelo said the law, even with the new restrictions, will not completely stop the thefts because of the sheer volume of people willing to commit the crimes.
Youngstown police devoted an officer to scrap-metal theft in August 2006, and the department has made more than 238 arrests, many involving felony charges, since that time. Santangelo said the ages and races of the thieves all vary, and most are not from Youngstown. “They just come here to steal,” he said.
Facing those numbers and that level of resolve from thieves, Santangelo and Soroka said, little will prevent the crimes, but officers can and will use every tool available for arrest and prosecution.
“We have always had laws on the books, but people will try to do this anyway. This new law is just a tool, something that will ultimately help us,” he said.
Youngstown officials also have approved another measure to help law enforcement — an unauthorized-removal ordinance in the city. The ordinance, which Santangelo says is one of only a few in the state, calls for prosecution of anyone tearing pipes or siding off a home. Under the city ordinance, there is no need for a complaint from an actual victim as with state laws.
Ultimately, Santangelo said, the biggest tool to help prevent scrap-metal thefts will be the end to the general apathy of many people living in neighborhoods where the thefts occur. He said anyone who witnesses such crimes or knows someone committing the offense should feel obligated to contact police.
Santangelo said callers do not have to leave a name. His office will respond to the theft, hopefully, before the items are stolen, someone is injured or too much natural gas escapes from an opening where a stolen gas pipe was once in place.
“It is just a matter of time before we find more people electrocuted from trying to do this,” he said.
jgoodwin@vindy.com