Schumer seeks crackdown on metal thefts

Three times since November, a thief has crept into a Farmingdale cemetery and snatched a bronze vase that Kathy Peranzo had set on her son's grave.

Each crime broke her heart.

To Peranzo, who learned that the vases probably were sold as scrap for money, the thefts were personal and cruel. And news of a rash of thefts of manhole covers, street signs, stop signs and guardrails that are also sold for scrap is just as awful, she said.

"This is horrible and not just emotional like in my case, but dangerous for the general public," Peranzo, an East Meadow resident and a former Newsday transportation employee, said Wednesday. "It's so dangerous, and the thefts are just escalating beyond anything that I could imagine. It has to stop."

She joined Sen. Charles Schumer Wednesday as he announced plans to introduce legislation that will make it harder to sell stolen metal and make it a federal crime to steal from essential infrastructure such as streets, and from places such as cemeteries and playgrounds.

"The price of metals, copper particularly, but also steel and iron and many other things has gone way up, and with it there are always criminals who seek to take advantage," said Schumer, at the Huntington town highway department in East Northport, where he was joined by town highway Superintendent William Naughton and police officials from Nassau and Suffolk counties.

"This will make it both more difficult to swipe valuable metal and then make sure those who do it get federal time; and as you know, federal laws are a lot tougher than state laws when it comes to criminals."

The four-pronged legislation would require documentation that those selling metal to recyclers own or are authorized to sell the metal; require recyclers to keep detailed records for purchases of metal; cap the amount at $100 in cash that recyclers can pay for scrap metal; and create a specific federal crime of stealing metal from critical infrastructure.

Local recycling experts said scrap steel is worth between 9 and 12 cents per pound.

Schumer said he plans to co-sponsor the legislation with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) because such thefts are an issue nationwide. Language in the legislation, which will be introduced when the senate goes back into session, is being worked out.

Schumer said the law is not aimed at cracking down on most recycling companies. "Most of our recyclers are good people, and we are not blaming them," Schumer said. "But there are bad apples, and the crooks know to go to the bad apples."

Naughton, who sounded an alarm recently about manhole thefts in Huntington, said he has seen a rise in thefts with 11 manhole covers and two steel street grates taken from town roads this month.

"But I didn't know it was such a widespread issue," Naughton said. "We're concerned from a safety perspective, of course. Law enforcement will have to take care of the other part, so I hope this legislation gets passed."

Metal theft

Nassau police officials said there were 243 reported instances of metal theft in the county in the last 12 months. Suffolk police said there were 770 incidents in the county since January 1.

(Please note that the statistics from the two counties may not be directly comparable since they are over different time periods and the crimes are reported in different ways.)