Local News
Council approves tougher rules for scrap metal sales
GREENVILLE — Scrap metal dealers have a stronger responsibility to make sure the seller of the metal they receive is the rightful owner, under new regulations approved Tuesday by the Greenville City Council.
Lt. William Cole with the Greenville Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division said the measure was an important step in helping to stem the epidemic of scrap metal thefts across the area.
“I think we’ll have a real tool that we can use,” Cole said. “I’m hoping more and more cities adopt this, so we can blanket the entire area.”
Greenville is just one of many cities which has experienced a dramatic rise in the numbers of thefts of scrap metals; especially copper, which has seen a significant increase in the prices paid at recycle outlets.
Since December 1, 2006 more than $500,000 worth of property damage has been reported to the Greenville Police Department stemming from metal thefts. GEUS substations have been vandalized on several occasions, at a cost of more than $25,000 in property damage. Other utility companies have also reported numerous thefts at area substations.
Cole said those crimes can prove especially dangerous for both the thieves and individuals sent to repair the damage.
“They don’t know what was cut,” Cole said. “They don’t know what could kill them if they touch it.”
And the problems don’t end when a suspect or suspects are arrested, such as what happened after the former MasterFoods plant was vandalized last year.
“The damage is going to be in excess of $20,000,” Cole said. “It would have been much more if we hadn’t caught them.”
On Sept. 1, a state law coauthored by State Rep. Dan Flynn went into effect, dealing with the buying and selling of metals and makes it more stringent on those that deal in metal recycling. The statute also allows municipalities to establish stricter requirements on metal recycling entities and the new law increases the penalty for a first-time offense from a Class B Misdemeanor to a Class A Misdemeanor and makes a second offense a state jail felony.
The legislation and the ordinance approved by the Council Tuesday are also designed to place a greater burden on businesses which purchase scrap metal to make sure the seller is the rightful owner. Dealers must keep a photographic record of each seller, along with the seller’s vehicle identification and the metal which was sold for recycling, as well as a thumbprint of the seller.
The records must be kept for three years and must be available to inspection by police officers during normal business hours. Also under the ordinance, metal dealers are restricted to purchasing scrap metal from the general public to between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
The records must be available for inspection by local police officers and the ordinance also prohibits the transport of scrap metal without proof of ownership. A peace officer who finds a person in violation of the ordinance can seize the metal and hold it for a period not to exceed 30 days, during which time a proof of ownership may be provided. If not, then the police department can sell the seized metal and keep the proceeds in the department’s seizure fund.
The new ordinance will go into effect on April 1, to allow time for officers to meet with local metal dealers and explain the new policy.
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