Clark County is taking definitive action against the theft and resale of stolen copper wire with a proposed ordinance aimed at those who purchase scrap metal. The ordinance, poised to mimic one already in place in Las Vegas, would make it illegal across Clark County to buy copper known to be filched from public utilities, including street lights.
According to FOX5 Vegas, this crackdown is in response to the steady increase in copper thefts throughout the county since 2022, which have seen almost a million feet of copper snatched. “There really is no good reason for an individual to be walking around the streets carrying this stuff. It’s used by municipalities, by Clark County, fairly exclusively,” Commissioner Michael Naft told FOX5 Vegas. The ordinance aims to curb this lucrative criminal activity by targeting the middlemen—the scrap dealers—who make the theft worthwhile.
The regulations set forth in the proposed law would limit scrap and junk dealers from accepting “7 strand” copper commonly utilized by municipalities, unless the seller can present evidence of lawful possession or a legitimate need for the metal in its altered state, as per FOX5 Vegas. The movement of metal to dealers would also be tightly controlled; individuals would be prohibited from selling scrap unless it arrives by vehicle, ostensibly to prevent the common sight of wire heaped in shopping carts or hauled on foot.
Penalties for non-compliance could be significant. Violators could be slapped with a misdemeanor charge, carrying a fine of up to $1,000 and the potential for jail time, as well as civil penalties. Moreover, “there’s some really good actors in town who are doing wonderful things, who are following every law, who are doing their best not to purchase this illegal material. But there’s some who are operating in the gray area, and have no worries about buying illegal material. That’s who we really want to get after here,” Naft elaborated, in a statement obtained by FOX5 Vegas. The county also plans to enforce regulations regarding payment methods, soliciting only checks or electronic transfers for scrap metal sales and establishing heftier fines for repeat offense.
While the ordinance will be introduced to the Clark County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, final approval could not come until the meeting on Nov. 19, as pointed out by News 3 LV. If enacted, the ordinance would apply to unincorporated areas of Clark County. Some scrap metal dealers in the area have already made policy adjustments in anticipation of the new law, with at least one dealer ceasing acceptance of copper from the public, according to FOX5 Vegas.
Source: https://hoodline.com/2024/10/clark-county-targets-scrap-metal-dealers-in-fight-against-copper-theft/
