The Trenton Times published the following article on June 1, 2013. To read the full article, click here.

State Sen. Shirley K. Turner sponsors bill to crack down on the sale of stolen metal

By Kelly Johnson/The Times of Trenton 
on June 01, 2013 at 7:45 AM, updated June 01, 2013 at 7:50 AM

TRENTON — The scrap metal market has become a lucrative magnet for criminals looking to cash in on high prices, but a new bill aims to crack down on the sale of stolen metals, which has been a prevalent crime in the city.

“This is the quick way for thieves to get their hands on quick cash,” said state Sen. Shirley K. Turner (D-Lawrence), sponsor of the bill. “We need to try to regulate the sale of scrap metal so that it would not be such a lucrative business.”

If signed into law, the bill would regulate scrap metal businesses and require that they maintain records and paperwork of all scrap metal transactions, regardless of weight, for at least 18 months, according to Turner.

“They would have to keep track of every sale and they would have to keep these records for a period of at least 18 months,” she said.

After receiving opposition from local scrap metal businesses, Turner amended her initial bill that would have required businesses to keep the records for at least five years.

The bill also restricts businesses from purchasing scrap metal from easily accessible structures such as water meters, utility poles, street signs, bridges or air-conditioning units, Turner said.

Scrap yards also will be required to pay customers by check instead of cash and record the license plate number of every vehicle that delivers scrap metal. These measures will help police improve the investigative process, according to Turner.

Businesses would only be allowed to accept scrap metal that is delivered by motor vehicle.

Turner said that she is unsure if businesses knowingly purchase stolen scrap metal, but there is no way to stop the thieves without regulating the businesses.

“I don’t know if they know, but I don’t think they’re asking. They’re just doing business,” she said.

Local scrap metal businesses maintain that they take the necessary steps to ensure that the metals they receive are not stolen, but sometimes the final judgment comes down to instinct.

“If my gut feeling thinks there’s something wrong, I don’t buy it. I tell them to leave,” said John Scarpati Jr., whose family owns Scarpati’s Recycling on New York Avenue in Trenton.

The business requires a valid driver’s license of anyone who wishes to scrap metal, and it is scanned if they are a first-time customer, said Scarpati, who was not previously aware of the bill. He also said that the business keeps records of the transactions, but does not hold them for 18 months.

“I do my part of what I can do. I don’t know what else they want me to do,” he said. “We’re already doing everything I know we’re supposed to be doing.”

Scarpati said that he is concerned with insulting his customers if the new law forces him to be suspicious of anyone who wants to scrap metal.

“I can see if a guy walks in with a bag full of copper — he probably stole it,” he said, but he is uncomfortable with turning away a customer without a car because many people, particularly in the Trenton area, don’t drive.

Turner blames the economy in part for the rise in scrap metal crime because the abandoned homes and buildings have provided more targets for thieves to steal metal from.

“Not only is it the increase in price of metals that have increased the theft, but it’s the recession,” she said. “More and more homes are abandoned in the suburbs because of foreclosures.”

Scrap metal thieves in Trenton have gone even further than robbing abandoned buildings. This past September, two men were arrested while trying to steal copper pipes from Trenton’s City Hall with hacksaws. First Presbyterian Church on East State Street in Trenton has been a repeated target for thieves, who have taken copper flashing, gutters and scupper pipes from the church between 2011 and 2012.

The value of scrap metals are always fluctuating, but copper is always worth more than other metals, according to Scarpati, and has a current value of $3.31 per pound.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau report, there was an 81 percent increase in metal thefts between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2011, which was consistent with the rise in price values of metal. Following the spike in crimes, 20 states strengthened their scrap metal laws in 2012 and New Jersey will be joining them in 2013, Turner said.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Thursday and is now pending Gov. Chris Christie’s approval.

Contact Kelly Johnson at kjohnson@njtimes.com