Police seek help from recyclers to stop metal theft

by GLENN COUNTS / NewsChannel 36
E-mail Glenn: GCounts@WCNC.com

NewsChannel 36

Posted on April 27, 2010 at 6:40 PM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Investigators from Charlotte and Gaston County met Tuesday to discuss how to attack metal theft from a regional perspective.

Part of the answer is making sure recyclers are playing by the rules.

“For some people to be able to feed their family they got to go out and collect scrap metal, and that’s OK,” said Steven Gilbert, who owns Global Recycling on North Tryon Street.

Police say now that the economy is turning around thieves are stealing metals. Copper, aluminum and steel can be cashed in if someone like Gilbert doesn’t stand in the way.

“Highway street signs, water meters, metal beer kegs — we avoid all this material,” said Gilbert.

Gilbert’s customers must sign in and they are scanned into a computer system.

“And as each person comes in, we scan them into the system and each person’s name, address and ID information comes up,” Gilbert said.

Employees then know the customer’s history and can recall what materials they have brought in in the past. They can also check to see if they are on CMPD’s “do not do business” list.

“Three or four times a day we see someone with a beer keg or aluminum sign or a manhole cover. We tell them we don’t take that material. Obviously they are taking it somewhere, but they are not bringing it here,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert’s system is fully computerized and is open to the police. He says that small recyclers can accomplish the same goal by keeping good written records and asking questions.