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Source: Albuquerque Journal, N.迷利倉M.Jan. 05--The copper that's being stripped from underground utilities in a string of damaging recent thefts is apparently not showing up in local recycling yards that follow the rules, although thieves can chop up or modify stolen copper to mask it.The thefts are causing recyclers, business owners and utilities in New Mexico a lot of concern."We want to catch them as bad as everyone else; it's giving us a black eye -- the industry -- but it's very difficult to catch them," said Bill Karr, general manager of Wise Recycling LLC in Albuquerque.The apparent uptick in copper thefts and even vehicle batteries means reputable recyclers are on high alert.The state requires those wanting to sell scrap metals to show identification. "Whenever someone brings in copper and stuff they have to bring an ID, that's a state law and that's been on the books for two or three years," said Brian Witt, owner of Capital Scrap Metals in Santa Fe.Both Witt and Karr said that a couple of things are probably keeping copper thieves away from local recyclers."The copper you are talking about, no, the IDs and stuff are discouraging the big amounts" that thieves might try and recycle, said Witt.Karr in Albuquerque agrees. "It's not showing up in the scrap yards. They are modifying it or taking it out of state is what police have told us." Copper thieves can strip the copper wire down or chop it up into smaller pieces to modify it, he said."These guys know what they are doing. They're smart, and we need to catch them in the act," said Karr. "It's very hard if the modify it ...I met with APD, and they are telling us the same thing. They are not seeing it in the (scrap) yards."Capt. Jerome Sanchez, head of investigations for the Santa Fe Police Department, says it's often difficult to identify stolen copper wiring. There is identifying coding on the insulation, but thieves strip it off.So where is the stolen local copper going?"I think it's people coming from out of town, not from Santa Fe, and taking it to another (scrap) yard somewhere else," he said.For scrap dealers, "It's kind of like the honor system," said Sanchez. "For every 10 people who go in (selling recycling metals) legitimately, there are maybe two who go in illegitimately."Last weekend, thieves stripped 320 feet of copper electrical wiring from a conduit on St. Michael's Drive in Santa Fe, knocking out power to two businesses. An attempted theft at the Santa Fe Children's Museum disrupted their power and knocked it out at a neighboring museum. There were also three copper thefts in Albuquerque the same weekend.In mid-December, Santa Fe's St. John's United Methodist Church, which is close to the museums, reported the theft of 200 feet of copper wire which caused a boiler to cool down to quickly and break. The damages cost the church $80,000."We are started to see an uptick of it (thefts) this last week," said Sanchez. "We are probably going to focus on it now."One national database called ScrapTheftAlert.com, operated by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, helps recyclers know what stolen metals might be coming their way."We get a report from ScrapTheftAlert and it tells us the description, the weight, what it was and what to be on the lookout for," said Karr, "We get a copy of the (driver's) license on eve迷你倉y transaction we do with copper."Karr believes the copper thieves have expertise beyond the average street thief. "These guys have to be pretty knowledgeable; they have got to have some electrical knowledge to not get hurt," he said.The thefts are of high concern to the Public Service Company of New Mexico, which donated $20,000 to CrimeStoppers statewide in November to offer rewards for apprehending copper bandits. In addition to the economic loss, the utility is concerned about the safety of the public or utility workers coming in contact with damaged, energized electrical equipment, said PNM spokeswoman Susan Sponar.Karr is working closely with authorities and is on a committee with PNM representatives to try and do something about the rash of copper thefts. About 165 Albuquerque businesses reported copper thefts to PNM in 2013 and Albuquerque police handled 300 copper thefts, according to Sponar.Getting tougher laws on the books would help, said Karr."It's very frustrating. We need to push for stiffer penalties," he said. "Now it's a misdemeanor. They have got to start charging them (thieves) with the damages to the infrastructure."The laws governing the thefts vary widely from state to state. In South Carolina and West Virginia the thefts are misdemeanors, but in Oklahoma and Hawaii they are felonies and, in Arkansas and Utah copper thieves can be held liable for the damage they cause during thefts.Some states, such as Minnesota, have stringent requirements for those dealing in scrap metals. The law there "requires video surveillance cameras or similar devices positioned to record or photograph a frontal view showing the face of each seller or prospective seller of scrap metal who enters the location," states the National Conference of State Legislatures website. The site outlines regulations for all states. Minnesota's law also requires the scrap dealer to video or photograph the seller's vehicle and vehicle license number.Karr said his company also videos sellers but is not required to. All information gathered from sellers is regularly uploaded into a state database, he said.In addition to verifying a prospective scrap metal seller's ID in New Mexico, state law also requires that dealers keep written records of purchases "of copper or brass material, bronze material, aluminum material in excess of ten pounds; or steel material in excess of one ton" said the State Legislatures website.The ScrapTheft website is a law enforcement tool to warn scrap dealers of thefts throughout the United states and Canada. In addition to the recording of the seller's ID information the organization recommends ways to track financial transactions after a dealer makes a purchase. Those include paying by check for a large transaction or paying by ATM.The organization also suggests refusing certain purchases unless accompanied by a letter of authorization. Those include materials generally sold by businesses but which are brought in by individuals, items used only by utilities or governments and "materials that might not be new but are clearly suspect" such as "20-foot lengths of copper downspouts tied to the top of a 1970 VW Beetle."Copyright: ___ (c)2014 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Visit the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) at .abqjournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉