By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
February 8, 2012

Secondary metal theft has plagued more than vacant properties. It’s plagued businesses, organizations and homeowners throughout Kansas City.

Kansas City City Council members are hoping a newly passed ordinance will hamper the number of those thefts.

Council members unanimously approved several amendments to the city’s secondary metal recycler ordinance during the Feb. 2 city council meeting.

“This ordinance takes us another step forward and I’m very pleased with it,” Regulated Industries Manager Gary Majors said.

Amendments include requiring secondary metal recyclers to maintain an electronic database of each transaction, as well as a video or photo record of each transaction. Both the database and photo/video records will be available to police and Regulated Industries.

In addition, secondary metal recyclers can no longer accept items from a shopping or grocery cart. Certain items like utility access covers, HVAC components, catalytic converters, copper telecommunications wire of 25 pair or greater in certain gauges, among other items, can’t be accepted unless the seller provides verification that he or she is authorized to sell the item. For example, catalytic converters must be accompanied with a receipt for removal or the title of the car it was removed from or a receipt documenting the sale of the vehicle.

“Several times a year we’ll get reports from a used car lot or new car lot where 40 catalytic converters were taken in one nights time,” Majors said. “(Now) you have to show it legitimately came out of a vehicle.”

For payments of $500 or greater, the scrap metal dealer must issue a check or electronic payment.

Thefts across the metro

“From a parks perspective, this is a pretty serious issue,” said Forest Decker, superintendent of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Since 2007, the parks department has lost $815,000 in stolen metals, which included copper wire, bronze plaques, brass fixtures in fountains, copper roofing, stainless steel grates, among other items.

“We’ve always had problems, but never anything close to this. It’s tenfold since 2007,” he said.

This past year, copper wire thefts and damages to fiber optic cables on cameras in Kansas and Missouri cost Kansas City Scout $150,000 to $200,000 in damages, said KC Scout Incident Management Coordinator Rusty James.

KC Scout, Kansas City’s bi-state traffic management system, “manages traffic on more than 125 continuous freeways” in the greater Kansas City metro area.

“When we lose those cameras, we lose the ability to see if someone needs assistance and to see what the traffic patterns are or if there’s a hazard on the roadway,” he said.

Strengthening the city’s ordinance will help protect tax payers throughout the Kansas City metro, he said.

AT&T has seen an “explosion” of cable thefts, which negatively impacts customer service, said Madeline Romious, vice president of external affairs for AT&T Missouri.

“Working copper wires and facilities are being stolen out of the air between the poles,” she said.

It’s dangerous not only to AT&T employees, but also to those stealing the cable, she said.

AT&T received a number of theft complaints from the Candlelight Neighborhood Association, 74th Street and I-435, which is mostly comprised of retirees, she said.

Since August of 2011, the neighborhood reported six incidents of theft, which ranged from 100 feet of stolen cable to 300 feet.

A number of those residents only use landline telephone service, she said.

“Therefore, when their landline goes down, they don’t have the resources to reach emergency services. They don’t have access to the community or to conduct business,” she said.

Sanford Levine of KC Iron & Metal, Inc. said his company supports the ordinance changes and that it’s a starting point to deter metal theft.

“I’m very proud of what Kansas City has done. I think we should be a role model for all of America. There’s very few cities in America that have meetings like we do with Regulated Industries and the dealers every few months.”

City Council member Scott Wagner, who spearheaded the ordinance changes, said he hopes surrounding municipalities will adopt similar ordinances.

“At the end of the day, if it’s just done in Kansas City, it’s not going to be enough,” Wagner said. “We really have to have the other jurisdictions involved. There’s great interest in what we’re doing and talking about. My hope is this is going to launch regionally.”