COLBERT COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
Alabama now has a tool to target scrap metal thieves.
It's a new law that sets up stricter requirements for selling scrap metal.
The law requires people who sell scrap metals to provide the buyer with a photo ID and title for their vehicles, as well as other information.
It's something Greg Hodges and the crew at Mallard Steel aren't worried about. They have been going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to purchasing scrap metals for years.
"It's a sense of security and there are certain people that should have certain scrap and there are certain people that shouldn't have that scrap," said Hodges, manager at Mallard Steel.
They've installed license scanners and high-tech databases to store their customers' history.
It allows them to not only track their transactions, but they can easily assist local law enforcement when it comes to tracking metal thieves.
"We keep up with everything they bring us. It's a history basis. Everything they've ever sold us, we can pull it up in five to ten seconds," Hodges said.
Lawmakers hope this new bill requiring sellers to provide personal information will help fight the crime, but Hodges has his concerns.
"You have to have somebody that can enforce the law. They've taken so much away from law enforcement and not giving them the tools to enforce these laws is really hurting them in being able to take care of these thefts," he said.
He wants to see lawmakers hold buyers accountable across the board.
"When we ask for information and if they don't have it, they're just going to go somewhere that doesn't ask for that information. So they're going to have to get it out of the hands of the people that aren't licensed to do that, and that's what it's going to take to get it done," he said.
The new law says scrap metal buyers must send the information collected to a statewide database and keep it for at least one year.
Copyright 2012 WAFF. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WAFF, a Raycom Media Station. 