Why aren’t metal theft laws working in Washington state?

Why aren’t the current laws working? That’s the question many are asking with a recent rise in metal theft.

‘Significant amount of wire theft’ shuts down Seattle I-5 express lane ramp

Entire neighborhoods have been disabled because of stolen wires, and thousands have been seriously inconvenienced by swiped catalytic converters. In Magnolia, some residents still don’t have internet or phone service after cables and copper wires were stolen weeks ago. In Sammamish, streetlights were knocked out after a series of wire thefts, plunging the area into darkness.

The executive director for the Washington Sheriff and Police Chief’s Association, Steve Strachan, says there are a handful of things at play. He claims many of the thieves on the street are supporting an addiction, there are fewer consequences because of booking restrictions due to the pandemic, and recent restrictions have been placed on proactive policing.

Strachan says police are trying to find out how small-time crooks are turning their stolen purchases into cash. Are they selling the items to corrupt dealers, or are the goods being shipped overseas? Primarily, the goal is to nab the middlemen in the stolen metal transactions.

Detectives, according to Strachan, have not been able to pursue the issue to its fullest because many have been reassigned to patrol due to staffing shortages.

But this problem has been going on for years around the country.

Sean Daoud, president of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, a scrap metal dealer association, says he thinks the online marketplaces are a big part of the problem. Sales are unregulated and individuals are paid cash, which authorized scrap metal dealers are not allowed to do.

Daoud says they are working directly with police and legislators to find a better solution that actually works.