Long arm of the law gets longer in city

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - The line is like something you'd see at a drive-thru during lunchtime, but folks here aren't getting fries with their orders.

At First Street Recycling in Dayton many turn their metal into cold hard cash, but some items are "hotter" than others.

"These scrap metal yards will call us now when people come in with brand new copper and they say something isn't right with this," says Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl.

But some criminals are catching on and making their sales elsewhere.

"You'd be surprised," Biehl says. "We know stolen property is going to Kentucky."

But now police think they'll be able to find those thieves as well.

City Commissioners approved a three year $50,000 contract today with LeadsOnline, a national database that tracks the sales of potentially stolen items.

"Scrap metal, electronics, you name it," Biehl says. "Anything that is sold through second hand stores, pawn shops, scrap metal yards, etc."

During a demo of the database, police found that stuff stolen from Dayton can fly farther south than most birds.

"We found some property that was transacted in Texas," Biehl says.

The chief says being able to find things across the country just as well as down the street can make Dayton a better place to live.

"Paying attention to property crimes is very important," Biehl says. "It is the crime that most impacts quality of life for most of our citizens."