Law enforcement, scrap yards team up to combat copper theft in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Action News continues to analyse the effects of ligament theft successful the Fresno country and the effort to halt it.

Tuesday night, we reported that stolen wires from postulation signals adjacent Tilley Elementary School could disrupt students and their families traveling to the schoolhouse for months.

Now, we're taking a person look astatine however section scrap yards play a relation successful stopping copper criminals and the challenges galore inactive face.

Tall piles of workplace equipment, dumpsters, and assorted different metals capable Bruno's Iron and Metal successful Fresno.

As good arsenic ample blocks of copper wire.

Bruno's sees radical travel done with assorted pieces and wires looking to marque a profit, but the instrumentality requires they hold 3 days for a cheque alternatively than currency which allows Bruno's clip to guarantee the items aren't stolen.

Many of the radical who measurement done their gates are verified contractors, but wide manager Christian Honetschlager says they person steps they person to travel with each customer.

"We're asking questions astir wherever the metallic is coming from, addresses, telephone numbers, names of who they're associated with," said Honetschlager.

"Typically, by the clip you get to those questions, it's beauteous wide if idiosyncratic is oregon is not legitimately acquiring these items."

They besides get a transcript of their license, signature, and thumbprint and person surveillance cameras connected tract and successful the bureau picking up their image.

There are signs Honetschlager says they look for that could bespeak the metals weren't obtained legally.

"Most radical volition say, Oh, it's from my property," said Honetschlager.

"So, we're looking astatine the worldly specifically, and that's typical. The dormant giveaway is, you know, you didn't get respective 100 pounds of this by tearing down a shed."

That's erstwhile they telephone successful the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

"We spell each azygous week investigating ligament theft crimes," said Tony Botti with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.

"It's specified a occupation implicit the years that we person a dedicated team, our Ag Task Force, that's 1 of their biggest specialties, due to the fact that particularly retired connected farms, ranches, these are the radical that are getting deed each the time."

Both the sheriff's bureau and Bruno's accidental radical people farms and concern areas due to the fact that determination are little radical astir to witnesser the crime.

Honetschlager said criminals adjacent effort to people the scrap yard, truthful they've installed their ain information measures.

Although copper ligament is inactive consistently stolen passim the city, Fresno constabulary nary longer support information connected the crime.

Police said if they drawback a suspect, they tin complaint them with some theft and vandalism.

"It tin beryllium adjacent to lone a fewer $100 worthy of copper, but thousands of dollars worthy of harm to the victim," said Fresno Police Sgt. Felipe Uribe.

"With misdemeanor vandalism, thing beneath 3 $399 it's a misdemeanor. Anything implicit $400 it's a felony erstwhile it comes to vandalism."

Bruno's said adjacent though they travel the instrumentality radical inactive find places oregon radical that volition acquisition copper without thorough vetting.

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