ST LOUIS MISSOURI NEWS (stlouismo.com) – Gov. Matt Blunt today urged the General Assembly to pass tough new laws aimed at putting a stop to the disturbing trend of copper and other metal theft that is hurting Missouri consumers, farmers, business owners and utilities.
“Missouri, as well as the rest of our country, is in the midst of a copper theft spree,” Governor Matt Blunt said. “I urge lawmakers to send to my desk tough laws to give law enforcement some of the strongest tools in the country against metal thieves and provide prosecutors with the hard evidence they need to put these copper and metal thieves behind iron prison bars.”
Copper and metal theft is on the rise across the nation and in Missouri. Driven by increasing costs for the metals, thieves are capitalizing on prices that are approximately five times what they were just four years ago.
“The scrap metal theft is a destructive and dangerous criminal trend,” said Mark James Director of the Department of Public Safety. “I appreciate the governor’s efforts to help support stronger laws. If we want to deter crime, we have to implement policies that restrict criminal opportunity.”
In Missouri, for example, two men from Independence are suspected of stealing more than 16,000 pounds of material from an Army munitions plant. An attentive scrap-dealer helped put an end to their alleged scheme.
These thieves have stripped copper wiring, pipes and tubing from utilities and homes which creates the risk of flooding, fires and the potential electrocution of workers fixing the problem. Some criminals are even stealing manholes, traffic signal boxes, beer kegs, gas grills and aluminum bleacher seats and selling them for scrap.
Laws Governor Matt Blunt championed today would modify current record-keeping requirements for scrap-dealers, making it easier to catch copper thieves and save property. Under this legislation, dealers would be required to keep a log of most copper, brass, bronze, or aluminum transactions over $50 and save the records for two years.
In addition the laws would only allow those authorized to sell items commonly targeted for metal theft, such as iron manhole covers and stainless-steel beer kegs stolen from companies such as Anheuser-Busch. Changes the governor is calling for would also require payments over $500 be made by check or another method that would leave a paper trail. The legislation also makes the crime of metal theft a Class C felony.
Last year, Governor Matt Blunt directed state law enforcement to hold community meetings to help find solutions to prevent copper and metal theft in Missouri. In addition, at his direction, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Information Analysis Center have been taking aggressive actions to stop this theft.
“Governor Matt Blunt has taken swift action to find solutions to address the increasing problems associated with the theft of precious metals, particularly copper wire, from electric cooperatives, utility companies, farmers, and private residences,” said Major Ron Replogle, who oversees the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “Governor Matt Blunt coordinated a number of town hall meetings across the state to address the problem from both a legislative and law enforcement perspective. Since that time, the Missouri Information and Analysis Center has developed a statewide database to monitor theft cases and look for common links between cases. I know law enforcement greatly appreciates Governor Matt Blunt’s leadership on this issue.”
Governor Matt Blunt urged lawmakers to quickly pass Senate Bills 1034 and 802, which are now being considered in the General Assembly.