Construction sites, farms lose money on metal thefts
Construction sites, farms lose money on metal thefts
Copper. Aluminum. Metal left out in fields or on construction crimes can be easy pickings from some criminals in San Benito County.
Some authorities believe that drug users are committing the majority of thefts, to get quick cash from scrap metal recyclers.
The thieves dissect aluminum irrigation pipes in the fields and steal spools of copper wiring from business storage areas and construction sites.
Shingai Farms reported a large quantity of pipe stolen from their farm a few months ago. Earlier this month a spool containing 3,200 feet of copper electrical wiring, valued at $5,000 was stolen from the Honda Powerhouse construction site on San Felipe Road, the Hollister Police Department reported.
“The problem with farmers is that unless a large quantity of pipe is missing, they often don’t notice,” said Jeff Goodwin, a detective with the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department who is working on agriculture crime investigations. “When thieves take a few sticks here or a few joints, [the farmers] don’t notice.”
Copper is valued at $1.50 per pound and aluminum is valued at $1.60 per pound so heavy items such as pipes can be a valuable commodity.
It’s not uncommon for plumbers or people in the construction business to bring in scraps to recycle, but when people off the street start bringing in large quantities of copper wiring or aluminum pipe, it’s suspicious, according to Kathy Kakebeen, an executive assistant at Eagle Recycling in Hollister.
“If there’s a theft of aluminum or copper in the area, we get a lot of calls to be on the lookout,” Kakebeen said. “But really there’s no way to identify what is and what isn’t stolen. We take drivers’ license numbers when we buy copper, but if an item isn’t marked there’s no way to tell if what we’re buying is stolen.”
Recyclers in the area talk with one another and share information if there are copper thefts in the area and the police department regularly comes and checks with the various recyclers, Kakebeen said.
“The problem is that there is a lot of money involved in this,” Kakebeen said. “It’s good for recyclers, but it can be dangerous for people who leave things out. We got a call just last week from a woman who had a brass antique stolen from her yard. People are getting ripped off and there’s not a lot that can be done.”
Goodwin isn’t convinced this is a problem yet – the sheriff’s department doesn’t get a lot reports of stolen pipes and equipment – but sees how it could turn into one if it is not properly addressed.
Goodwin is working with the scrap yards and the recycling companies in the area so that they can recognize stolen products and educating the farmers so that they can mark pipes and equipment so that if it is stolen, it can be identified.
Patrick O’Donnell can be reached at [email protected].
