Do they have NO morals!

This is not another Detroit-bashing thread. I'm appalled and amazed that a city can be dismantled by thieves like this. I read a story about them stealing man-hole covers right out of the street as well. Linkety-Llink

That's pretty pathetic.

There was a guy in Paris a few years ago who was selling souvenir cobblestones from a nice little kiosk. Turns out his son spent the nights ripping them up out of the streets and he spent his days selling them to tourists at a good price.

Watched a guy on our surveillance system as he struggled to steal a manhole cover. They are heavy. Story told, it was Dreadlocks - 0, Manhole - 1.

Bunch of rookies, a few years ago the "metal men" of Baltimore were stealing WORKING metal light poles, bridges (the kind you drive over in a car), large (14 feet tall) copper doors from a church, railroad tracks and ties the list just went on and on. Took a few years but they seem to have it under control for the most part.

Sound like Detroit is on the right path, if no one is buying no one is stealing.

Best of luck.

Shoot. A few months ago someone stole quite a few manholes out of the median on I-85 in Greenville and Anderson Counties, SC.

Talk about morals. What kind of metal yard buys manholes or brass vases from cemeteries?

In reply to Donebrokeit:

The police are always catching guys stealing copper, and sometimes from working equipment. Sometimes its too late and all thats left is charred remains.

The bridge theft was in PA, not Baltimore. It was a funny story though.

None the less, as scrap prices rise and fall, metal theft rises and falls.

There's a joke about man holes in there somewhere.

Man, I am proud to be a Michigander.

The local K&K metal recyclers won't pay cash for certain items anymore, they send a check instead. It's usually for things like copper, cat convertors, manhole covers, etc... plus you have to show id as well.

It would suck to find out the hard way that manhole covers are missing.

81cpcamaro wrote: It would suck to find out the hard way that manhole covers are missing.

That has happend.

not just in the USA

In reply to oldtin:

Bahhhhhhahaha!

Trinidad has a real problem with it too, including ATTEMPTED theft of hot power lines. That gets smelly.

cwh wrote: Trinidad has a real problem with it too, including ATTEMPTED theft of hot power lines. That gets smelly.

Yea, I'd love to hotlink, but I don't want to ACTUALLY make anyone hurl. Thats not nice.

Timely post! It's not just Michigan. http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article744067.ece

81cpcamaro wrote: The local K&K metal recyclers won't pay cash for certain items anymore, they send a check instead. It's usually for things like copper, cat convertors, manhole covers, etc... plus you have to show id as well. It would suck to find out the hard way that manhole covers are missing.

I've often wondered if some type of regulation with the recyclers couldn't curb a lot of these types of theft.

If there was nowhere to sell the stolen goods, there would be less reason to steal it.

oldtin wrote: not just in the USA

Notice the chaulk outline and suspecious red stain?

Donebrokeit wrote: Bunch of rookies, a few years ago the "metal men" of Baltimore were stealing WORKING metal light poles, bridges (the kind you drive over in a car), large (14 feet tall) copper doors from a church, railroad tracks and ties the list just went on and on. Took a few years but they seem to have it under control for the most part. Sound like Detroit is on the right path, if no one is buying no one is stealing. Best of luck.

Baltimore is trying to catch back up. Wait until they get their rhythm back. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-01-03/news/bs-md-ci-port-metal-20120103_1_scrap-metal-aluminum-three-baltimore-men

It's happening everywhere. Last year metal thieves stole some of the brass railings that were bolted to the outside of the County office building here in Rochester NY, right in the middle of downtown, 2 blocks from police HQ.

Last year thieves broke in to handicapped woman's basement and stole the copper pipe that ran her baseboard heat.....

WHILE SHE WAS LIVING THERE !!!

Ought to be a special place in Hell for them.

I have seen this first hand. When I worked for my uncle in Reading Pa, We also did maintance and small repairs. We got a call from a homeowner to see about repairs. When we got there, his rowhome (which was one of the more beautiful and larger rowhomes on the park had been completely stripped of all metal.

He had gone away for a week for work. The theives came in and stripped all the metal out of the house in the course of a night... this also included the once beautiful stained glass skylight. The damage to the place was measured in tens of thousands of dollars

mad_machine wrote: He had gone away for a week for work. The theives came in and stripped all the metal out of the house in the course of a night...

Note to self... when leaving for vacation, leave bottle of rat poison labeled "Free Crack Cocaine" in middle of basement.

it was a mess GPS. Being a hundred year old home.. it was all lathe and plaster... What was scary, is they got into the old gaslines from the gaslines.. it was a good thing they were properly capped