Keeping thieves off the scrap heap

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN) - When it comes to stealing scrap metal, the flood gates have opened.

No really.

Parts of a flood control system were taken recently in Dayton. It's just one in a long line of metal thefts in the Miami Valley.

"I think it's a big problem," says Jeffrey Gordon with Valley Metals. "We come across it everyday."

But a new law is designed to make it harder for thieves to unload that stolen scrap metal.

Now scrap yards have to take a picture of every seller, in addition to making copies of their IDs.

The law also adds more items to the list of things businesses have to pay special attention to, like rail ties.

2 NEWS got a look at what Valley Metals does to deter scrap thieves.

The place already has a surveillance system and keeps records of its sales.

"We do what we're required to do," Gordon says. "We purchase material. We record it. We photograph it and have IDs on the customers."

Under the law, by 2014 scrap sales will be kept track of using an online database, so it's easier to find those selling stolen stuff.

But Gordon believes as long as thieves think it's worth the risk, they'll continue to make off with metal.

"If the economy gets better it might reduce it some," Gordon says. "If the price of scrap drops it'll reduce it some."

2 NEWS also talked with someone from Cohen USA, one of the bigger recyclers in the area. Officials there say they support the law and think it will level the playing field for those who follow the rules.