By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
November 2, 2011

Criminals may begin to think twice before stealing metal from vacant properties in Kansas City.

Several factors are deterring criminals, including new city ordinances, cooperation from local salvage yards and surrounding cities.

Thanks to newly passed City Ordinance 110440, the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) can now arrest and file charges against subjects who trespass on vacant properties. Before the adoption of the city ordinance, police officers could not arrest a trespasser unless the owner of the property pressed charges. That posed a problem since a number of vandalized properties were owned by out-of-state owners or banks who refused to prosecute.

On Oct. 18, Kansas City police utilized the ordinance when they received a call about a prowler at 5942 E. 14th St. Officers took the suspect into custody and located a freshly cut pile of copper in the kitchen, along with garden shears with copper marks on the blades. Officers also located a shopping cart filled with copper pieces and a pry bar.

East Patrol Division’s Community Interaction Officer Jason Cooley called it a “success story.”

“Where do these guys take this stuff and sell it? If we can cut off that source or slow it down, then I think we can begin to stop these crimes,” Truman Road Corridor Association President David Biersmith said during the TRCA Crime meeting Oct. 26.

“More progress is being made as we speak,” Regulated Industries Manager Gary Majors said.

Two years ago, the KCPD conducted research and estimated that Kansas Citians were losing $1.8 million per year in stolen copper and other metals, Majors said. At the time, salvage yards weren’t cooperating with police, he said. Dealers feared if they began refusing items or made the process more difficult, customers would turn to the dealer’s competitors, Majors said.

However, since then, Kansas City has passed several ordinances regarding salvage yards and surrounding cities like Kansas City, Kan., Independence and Blue Springs are adopting similar or identical ordinances.

“The circle keeps widening,” Majors said. “We’ve had a pretty positive impact.”

For deals $50 and above, a customer must show his or her ID and receive the money by check.

Salvage yards and secondary recyclers must take a photo of the customer, record the date, write down a description of the customer’s vehicle and property, among other requirements.

Keeping track of the customers allows the city to tie incidents together to build a stronger case for prosecution, Majors said.

To further crack down on the illegal sale of metals and other goods, Regulated Industries wants the city council to lower the $50 transaction to zero, and is currently meeting with city council members.

Illegal dumping task force

In addition to installing cameras throughout the city to catch those dumping items illegally, Kansas City has formed a full-time task force comprised of employees from the Neighborhood Preservation Department and Regulated Industries.

“We decided we could join forces and have a more effective investigative outcome,” Majors told Northeast News.

Joining forces streamlined the city’s resources and eliminated duplication of illegal dumping reports, he said. The team is also being trained on how to build a stronger case for prosecution.

“Once people know there’s truly a risk of getting caught, they’ll quit doing it,” Majors said. “It’s when there’s virtually no risk involved, they’ll say, ‘I’m willing to take a shot.'”

Recently, a city camera caught subjects unloading a truck filled with nearly 70 tires. It took them 55 seconds to dump the load. Without the surveillance technology, officers wouldn’t have a chance of catching those subjects, he said.

“We have noticed a reduction (of illegal tire dumping) in some of the usual locations,” Majors said. “I attribute a lot of that to the education piece that goes along with getting your (business’s tire) permit that makes you understand what the law is.

“When we make a few public arrests, we think that will help even more.”

K2 crack down to come

K2, a synthetic marijuana, used to be legal in Missouri. Now, those caught with K2 can be charged with a misdemeanor or felony. The state law went into effect Aug. 28.

“K2 has been associated with serious health risks such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, vomiting, hallucinations, tremors and possibly seizures,” Gov. Jay Nixon said in a press release. “Most alarming is that health care providers and poison control centers are seeing increased use of K2 by children. It is unsafe and has serious potential for abuse, especially by children.”

Majors agreed.

“It’s destroying kids’ lives,” Majors said. “It’s not just a gateway drug to something bigger.”

Majors cited a woman who’s son used the drug, which caused permanent damage to his heart.

Stores in Kansas City are continuing to sell the illegal drug, Majors said.

To effectively prosecute a business, officers must witness the sale of K2 and the substance must be tested, which is time consuming and expensive, Majors said. Adding to the dilemma is manufacturers are continuing to change the ingredients, so they’re outside the perimeters of state law.

That’s why Majors is proposing a city ordinance to place requirements on packaging labels. K2 can be packaged as a number of items ranging from furniture cleaner to potpourri to plant food and more.

“Most (K2) labeling is pretty minimal,” Majors told Northeast News.

A package may simply say “furniture cleaner” and not include where it’s made or the name of the manufacturer, he explained.

If passed, the city ordinance would require labeling to include the name of the manufacturer and address. If a business like a convenience store failed to comply, their liquor license could be suspended, Majors said. If a business’s liquor license is in jeopardy, it can have immediate results in curbing or eliminating the sale of K2, he said. To further address the sale of K2, Majors is in the process of forming a special task force.