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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:11 am
Time: 12:11 am
Results for metal theft (indiana)
1 results foundAuthor: Whiteacre, Kevin Title: Metals Theft Database Pilot Study Summary: Metal theft describes the theft of items for the value of their constituent metals. These thefts include a variety of crimes, such as: stealing catalytic converters from cars for their platinum, rhodium and palladium; and stealing copper wires and cable; plumbing; air conditioners and parts for the copper; aluminum siding and gutters; and so on. It is generally agreed that metal thefts have gone up because of steep increases in the prices of metals, spurred by an increase in world demand for metals and increased speculative investment in base metals. Jurisdictions across the country are reporting increased concerns over metal thefts. Almost 30 local and state legislatures in the U.S. have enacted, or are considering, metal theft legislation. Yet, few jurisdictions have hard data on the exact numbers and types of metal thefts occurring. Recently, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) and the University of Indianapolis Community Research Center (CRC) began a collaborative effort to collect such data on metal theft in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Metal Theft Project seeks to gather and analyze a wide variety of data that will provide a clearer understanding of the incidence, types, costs, and impacts of metal theft in Indianapolis in order to inform and implement strategies to reduce these crimes. This is the first report on a pilot study to establish protocol for collecting, coding, and analyzing metal theft data from IMPD crime reports. It provides some descriptive frequencies of metal theft crimes for January through March of 2008. A summary of the findings indicates that: • From January 1 to March 31, 2008, there were 678 metal thefts reported in Indianapolis. This averages out to about 226 per month or about 7 metal thefts each day. Residences accounted for just over half of the crimes. Another 17 percent were automobiles (catalytic converters mostly). Interestingly, churches have been victimized enough to merit their own category. • Copper was the most stolen metal, with copper pipes and plumbing accounting for more than 17 percent of all items and copper wires accounting for another 8 percent. • On average, one catalytic converter was stolen every day during this three month time period. Approximately, one-quarter of the vehicles were Jeeps, suggesting they might be at a higher than average risk for catalytic converter theft. • Twenty-five percent (169) of the crime reports contained estimates, which were provided by the victim reporting the crime, of the values for the stolen items. For those 169 cases, the average value of the stolen items was $4,314 (median = $1,500). The sum of the reported values was $729,112. • Extrapolating those values to the other 75% of cases suggests the value of stolen metal averaged just under $1 million per month for January, February, and March 2008. • The Northeast District had the most residential metal thefts, while the Southeast and Southwest Districts had the most commercial and vehicle related metal thefts. • Possible steps for moving forward include: 1) participating in the Institute of Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) Theft Alert Program; 2) centralizing responsibility for metal thefts; 3) organizing a Metal Theft Task Force; 4) focusing needs-driven prevention efforts on specific districts; 5) improving crime reporting; and 6) continuing collaboration on the Indianapolis Metal Theft Project. Details: Indianapolis, IN: University of Indianapolis, Community Research Center, 2008. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 1, 2011 at: http://socsci.uindy.edu/crc/pdf/metal_theft_study.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://socsci.uindy.edu/crc/pdf/metal_theft_study.pdf Shelf Number: 121208 Keywords: Metal Theft (Indiana)Stolen PropertyTheft Offenses |