Police in Vermont are hoping a new law will give them better tools to track scrap metal thefts.
The new law says scrap-metal processors must obtain and record detailed information about sellers. That includes a name, address, date of birth, a license plate number and a description of the items received.
The Brattleboro Reformer reports the processor must also request documentation that establishes the seller lawfully owns the items to be sold. If those conditions aren’t met, the processor must report the transaction to police and hold the items for at least 10 days.
Vermont State Police Trooper Benjamin Katz, who helped develop the law, said it’s necessary because of the scale of the metal-theft problem across Vermont.