Loss Prevention

Scrap Association Sounds the Alarm

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), Washington, has set up an early warning system for its member companies to be on the lookout for stolen metal.

An e-mail-based system set up by the association alerts members in different geographic regions about reported thefts of metals. These thefts range from materials at construction sites to one high-value case involving stolen turbine rings in Connecticut worth as much as $2.6 million.

"Increasingly, law enforcement has been catching metals thieves thanks in large part to efforts by ISRI members who have been instrumental in providing leads, reporting suspicious transactions and distributing ISRI’s Theft Alert e-mails," the organization states in a recent news release.

"As more law enforcement agencies learn about ISRI’s Theft Alert system, we have more chances to catch criminals and recover and return stolen materials to their rightful owners," says Chuck Carr, who manages the ISRI Theft Alert program.

Among recent examples cited by the group:

• In Allentown, Pa., an ISRI member provided key information to local police that led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing $100,000 worth of stainless steel from area businesses.

• Within an hour of distributing a Theft Alert e-mail about a stolen tractor trailer full of copper plate in Houston, Texas, ISRI received a response from a scrap dealer in Louisiana saying he had been offered these materials. He sent digital pictures of the reported materials to law enforcement, aiding their investigation.

• A wire manufacturer in Colorado reported the theft of wire spools to the Theft Alert system, and a cashier at a nearby scrap facility recognized the stolen materials. The cashier went through surveillance records, sharing what she found with the police.

Additional information on the program can be found at the ISRI Web site at www.isri.org.