Students walking by Prince Lucien Campbell Hall may have noticed the unusually large amount of space on the lawn outside the building. The 200-300 pound bronze Falconer sculpture has been missing since Nov. 24, and campus officials believe it may be a result of the state-wide epidemic metal theft.
Metal theft cases can range from criminals who steal copper from underground power wires or wire from construction sites to cases where suspects have taken metal from school bleachers.
The House introduced three bills addressing metal theft on Jan. 22. House Bill 2421 requires harsher penalties for metal thieves, House Bill 2422 bans the sale or purchase of particular items without permit, including grave markers, man hole covers and catalytic converters, and House Bill 2423 mandates that scrap metal businesses must maintain records of what they purchase.
“Metal theft really is a safety concern. As I read more about the threat to public safety, I was alarmed,” Rep. Nancy Nathanson said. “Entire neighborhoods have had power outages.”
Metal theft is a cyclical crime that rampantly occurs when metal prices skyrocket and lulls into submission when metal prices fall. The cost of copper is currently only 60 cents per pound, a decrease from its market price a year ago, $3 per pound. However, even with the drastically lower price of metal, Lane County Representatives Chris Edwards and Nathanson say metal theft is one of their top legislative priorities.
“We are more committed to passing a bill than ever before,” Edwards said. “Just because instances are down does not mean the crime has gone away.” He estimates the damages for the state are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Kelly O’Brien, vice president of Builders Electric Inc., said citizens may not understand that the frequency of metal theft has not only changed the way her company does business, but ends up costing everyday citizens money.
O’Brien has talked with scrap metal collectors in the area who understand the problem, but she agrees that if some collectors adopt stricter collection policies and other collectors do not, her business could be dramatically affected.
“There has to be rules across the board which prevent the sale of stolen items,” O’Brien said.
Eugene Police Department Detective Johann Schneider recommended the legislature draft a bill that requires collectors to not only record their purchases, but send the records to the police to verify the items have not been reported as stolen. He also suggested scrap metal sellers should be paid by check, rather than cash, from scrap metal collectors.
“Most people who steal metal and sell it are drug users who are looking for a quick way to get money,” Schneider said. “If you make it harder to get money instantaneously, less people would be tempted to steal.”
Schneider also said House Bill 2421, which requires harsher penalties for metal thieves, is almost impossible to enforce in a time when the county has such a limited budget to hold offenders.
“I know there are barely enough beds for violent offenders at the county jail without worrying about where they would put property criminals,” Schneider said.
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House bills crack down on Oregon’s increased metal theft
Daily Emerald
January 29, 2009
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