Building better bonds

In many ways, recyclers and law enforcement agencies need each other.

Recyclers, such as scrap yard operators, might need assistance when dealing with catalytic converter theft, for example. Conversely, local police might need help solving thefts in their jurisdiction or to be taught what to look for when investigating metals-related thefts.

Both entities can work together in harmony, and a session at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (which has since been renamed the Recycled Materials Association, or ReMA) 2024 Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas in mid-April explored how recyclers and law enforcement can build stronger relationships.

Moderating a panel of law enforcement officials from around the United States, ReMA Director of Law Enforcement Outreach Todd Foreman said the most important thing was to resolve issues of mistrust.

Fred Burmester, a prosecutor for Summit County, Utah, agreed, adding, “This idea of building relationships is absolutely critical. It’s breaking down barriers that seem to be almost tribal. That goes not only for this industry but all different groups, and that is one of the key features we’ve faced—the lack of trust between law enforcement and the recycling community and understanding that both wanted the same objective.

“[That realization] not only really improved our ability to solve [theft] cases, but then [recyclers] brought me cases I could actually prosecute,” Burmester said.

Trust matters

To cultivate trust, the panelists agreed openness is important. Steve Rotunno, chief of police for Cicero, New York, gave an example of a recycling facility operator in his area who not only welcomes officers to his property to check in but also attends police functions, such as the Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police awards banquet.

“He’s very supportive of law enforcement and he trusts us, and we trust him,” Rotunno said. “That’s what makes things work. I have his cell number, and he has my cell number. It’s not just when we show up at one of his locations and we need to talk to him about some property we want to look at, and that happens. That’s OK because it’s the things we do other than that that help build the trust.

“It’s outside the box, where we’ve built that relationship both professionally and when we’re not on the clock. And when we’re not on the clock, we can talk about life in general, and that’s where we have this trust relationship. And then he shares that information that we have for him with other recyclers throughout the community, and it definitely works.”

Jeffrey Glover, director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, said without such relationships with community members and the metals recycling industry, law enforcement’s job becomes much more difficult, especially when it comes to investigating crimes.

Additionally, Glover pointed out that strong relationships and the flow of information between law enforcement and the recycling industry can help shape legislation. Part of his role is occasionally reviewing legislative proposals and offering input.

“That’s part of the things that you may not see, where you have the law enforcement entity that’s getting the feedback from folks that are in the industry, people that are in the community, and then being able to actually have that experience of what it takes to actually move that case forward to the county attorney,” he said.

“We want to make sure [laws] work for the industry and work for law enforcement at large.”

Rotunno said one trust-building method he uses is to have an officer visit every business in his community, which spans 50 square miles, each year. “He has to hit every business, go in and just talk to them, let them know what we do, let them know how to contact us and, then if they need something, we’re here to help them,” he said.

To address business owners’ and managers’ potential hesitation to call 911, Rotunno said his officers make sure to give out the department’s nonemergency number so they’ll feel more comfortable calling if they witness suspicious activity.

Rotunno said law enforcement officials will visit a metals recycling facility to learn about how it operates. “A lot of us don’t know what they do,” he said. “We’re going to go there and take a look at the facility, and that’s just a small aspect of earning that trust between the business owners and law enforcement.”

Useful tools

Virginia State Police First Sgt. Peter Lazear, who also serves as director of the state’s Help Eliminate Auto Theft (HEAT) program, said one thing HEAT does to address automotive theft is place posters at recycling facilities and inform employees they are eligible for rewards of up to $25,000 if they report information about stolen cars and parts.

“You’ve got [the posters] there as a visual for not just the customers coming in, but it’s motivation for the employees of the company to say, ‘I’m going to make a little money by turning this in,’” he said.

Lazear’s agency has certified crime prevention specialists who will visit businesses, conduct a crime prevention survey and make suggestions on how employees can prevent crime through the design of the property.

“There’s resources out there; just reach out to your local police,” he said.

In Virginia, Lazear said his agency legally can visit recyclers any time during their business hours, adding that this is an important tool for investigating thefts and developing relationships with facility operators.

Rotunno said if recyclers have questions, they shouldn’t hesitate to call law enforcement officials to ask and recommended calling police tip lines if they have information to report.

Training grounds

The panelists suggested recyclers open their doors to law enforcement agencies to educate them on what they do and also occasionally to provide training tools for officers.

Glover said his eyes were opened to the recycling industry earlier in his career when he worked for the Tempe Police Department in Arizona and joined a detective on a trip to a facility. While there, the facility owner showed them examples of items that could typically be stolen and what to look for.

“To be able to learn that, and then be able to teach it back to the people in the field was extremely valuable to me at the time,” he said. “If it was something I didn’t know, then it would be pretty easy for me to miss something and not be able to pass that knowledge on.”

Lazear recalled a time when a refining company hosted an array of law enforcement agencies for a daylong event that included a facility tour, lunch and the opportunity to ask questions.

“To see the process and hear it and feel it, that really brought home what it means when people bring a truck full of catalytic converters,” he said. “To sit there with the people who sort them and record the numbers on them and see how that works and see how we can help them and how they can help us, it was so valuable. I would do it again.”

“[Hosting law enforcement] builds relationships,” Lazear said. “You’re learning names and faces. … We need to start building that idea that we should be visiting your facilities.”

In addition to welcoming law enforcement officers into facilities, Lazear recommended providing agencies end-of-life vehicles when possible so officers can use them as training tools for VIN and catalytic converter etching.

Getting comfortable

When members of the law enforcement community visit a recycling operation, the panelists agreed they want the management and staff to feel relaxed because it leads to better communication.

Glover said it’s important for police to provide good customer service while in the field, and Rotunno said good policing is done by building positive relationships in the community.

Lazear said there’s a common misconception that the relationship between the recycling industry and law enforcement is adversarial. “We’re not adversaries,” he said. “We’re here to work together.”

The author is associate editor of Recycling Today and can be reached at cvoloschuk@gie.net.