If It’s Made of Metal, Thieves Aren’t Picky By PATRICK MCGEEHAN On Restaurant Row, 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, missing grates around trees are believed to have been stolen to sell for scrap metal. Earl Wilson/The New York TimesOn Restaurant Row, 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues, missing grates around trees are believed to have been stolen to sell for scrap metal. Kids Draw the News DESCRIPTION Children: Submit your drawing of the manhole thefts. Go to Kids Draw the News » Submit a Drawing » The high price of oil is not the only effect of commodity inflation hitting the streets of New York. A surge in the value of copper, iron and other metals has fueled a wave of thefts from sidewalks, roadways and rail yards in the last few months. On Wednesday alone, the New York police arrested three men for stealing hunks of cast iron — grates made to protect tree roots and manhole covers weighing as much as 300 pounds. The arrests followed reports of the disappearance of dozens of the grates and covers across the city and came on top of a continuing spree of thefts of copper wire from utility cables. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2...reasingly-have-an-eye-for-it/?ref=todayspaper
Yes, its getting bad. Just heard on the radio yesterday about $250,000 of copper wire was stolen from a power company. I live in a small town, 18,000 people and they had to weld the doors shut and board up the lower windows after thieves got in and began ripping out the copper pipes and wires.
I was thinking I read somewhere that they are starting to weld the lids down. Anymore nothing is safe.
As much as I hate more laws it is time for laws requiring recyclers to record drivers licenses - they usually know who are legit contractors and individuals bringing stuff in and who the scum is - some pressure on the recyclers would cut some of that crap out -
Here, in N. California, they are requiring metal scrap dealers to get a driver's license # or other ID. when they buy metal from a seller. Thieves have been stealing the wires on the highway lighting, often frying themselves in the process. Oh, well. SteveF, As much as I also, don't want to see more laws, I don't want all the metal in our communities being stolen and sold for scrap. I want the manholes where they belong. I want the copper wiring for traffic lights there, to regulate the flow of traffic. I want the thieves to know that they can't, indiscriminately, strip out our infrastructure for their own reasons.
