Several Local Locations Hit by Recent Spike in Metal Thefts

Economic instability is likely the root of a recent spike in metal thefts in the Berkeley area, city officials say.

Parks, construction sites and street corners are among the locations around Berkeley that have been robbed of electrical wiring, tree grates, plumbing pipes and valves and other metal components.

This year, $25,000 worth of brass has been stolen from at least three locations and it has cost the city close to $200,000 to replace wires and pipes, said Julie Sinai, chief of staff to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates.

William Kennedy, who runs Ace Recyclers in San Francisco, said low-income individuals are likely selling stolen items to recycling centers, referring to it as the "peddler trade."

"If it's the small stuff, a lot of times it's the shopping cart crowd and the tweakers and the guys with pickup trucks," Kennedy said.

In 2007, an Oakland memorial garden dedicated to victims of a 1991 fire storm in Berkeley and Oakland was robbed of 25 steel plaques bearing the names of victims. A bronze sculpture was also partially destroyed. Since then, metal thefts have increasingly been a roadblock to improvements in the city.

"Other things that (the parks and public works departments) are doing are not going to get done because we have to spend the money to replace (stolen items)," said Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington.

But officials said a recent fall in the price of commonly stolen metal might discourage metal thieves.

"With our global recession, I'm sure (metal) prices will self-correct as other prices have self-corrected and hopefully the problem will go away," said Councilmember Gordon Wozniak.

During the summer, used car bodies sold for $200 to $300 a ton, but prices decreased to $20 a ton in the past month, according to Kennedy.

However, changes in global markets may also cause the price of gasoline to go down-reducing the cost to transport stolen metal goods, Worthington said.

He added that some thefts-particularly of tree grates and brass back flow preventers found in plumbing-have environmental repercussions.

Sinai said thefts have put a strain on city resources and caused safety issues.

"The lights are going out in our parks," she said. "People can't use them because we can't turn around and fix it the next day."

The nature of the crime makes it difficult to police, city officials said.

"You can't have police standing at all the corners-it's not economical or feasible," said Councilmember Darryl Moore. "If we could dry up the retail market and make this very difficult to sell, maybe it could stop that activity from happening."

Metal recyclers, however, say their industry has been scapegoated when it comes to metal theft.

"It's a really unfair assessment of an industry that has basically been a major contributor to the green efforts that have existed in the United States for many decades now," said Paul Forkash, owner of Aaron Metals in Oakland.

Tags: METAL THEFT