Making a dent in metal theft

Columbus Dispatch: Scrap-metal theft has been a scourge in Ohio, but new state rules — modeled in part after ones first adopted by the city of Columbus — should help combat it.

Scrap dealers across the state now are required to check the names of those who want to sell them metal against a statewide “Do Not Buy” list of nearly 300,000 theft convictions, and record the personal information of everyone who sells them scrap for inclusion in a law-enforcement database. These moves, which were developed in cooperation with the scrap industry, make it much harder for thieves to profit from stealing copper, brass and other metal.

Also reducing this type of crime is the basic law of economics: Metal prices are way down from their heights of a decade ago.

The state law was passed by the Legislature in 2012; full implementation took a little longer than planned, as testing and de-bugging delayed the rollout.

REDUCTION IN THEFT

Though it’s hard to quantify the direct impact of such laws that have spread around the country, it can only help. Theft already is down, even though it still remains a big issue: There were 57 metal thefts reported in Columbus last month, a 47 percent reduction from January 2014.

These new rules are a good example of government and industry working together for the betterment of everyone.