Metal Thefts Drop With Price, But Remain a Problem

by Randy J. Stine

Even with plummeting recycled metal prices, the theft of copper and other non-ferrous metals from radio transmission sites across the country continues to plague broadcasters.

Radio stations have lost copper strapping, coax, antennas, even entire HVAC units to bandits looking to cash in on the copper and other metal scrap boom, which at one time saw copper prices top $3 per pound in mid-2008.

Copper was down well over 50 percent in the past several months, garnering about $1.30 per pound late in the year, according to the London Metal Exchange.

Despite the cost of such commodities being dramatically lower, industry observers say they believe copper thefts will persist as the world economy tanks.

"I don't have any solid documentation, but from purely anecdotal evidence it appears copper thefts have slowed a bit. As the price drops so too does the high-risk, high-reward ratio," said Chuck Carr, vice president of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

"We always knew price was the main driving force, but people are still desperate because of the economy."

Stories of copper thefts from radio transmitter sites over the past year are plentiful. Brazen crooks have ripped copper tubing from buildings, taken transmission line and even stole an entire broadcast tower in southwestern Pennsylvania, according to various reports.

Carr's group, which consists of companies that process and broker scrap commodities, has launched a Web site aimed at tracking metal thefts. The site, http://www.scraptheftalert.com, aids law enforcement in their efforts to combat the problem.

ISRI "has theft prevention meetings and summits planned for all over the country in 2009. We offer a metal theft training program for law enforcement to show them how to build relationships between metal scrap recyclers and the industries that are being impacted by the thefts," Carr said.

Local task forces are crucial to limiting copper thefts, Carr said, but in addition to prevention training, ISRI is supporting efforts to pass a national law penalizing copper theft. Twenty-six states have copper theft laws.


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