A new currency has emerged in recent years across the state, particularly in Cass County, one that has left many local businesses and farmers seeing red, not green.

Scrap metal theft has become one of the fastest growing crimes over the last decade in Cass County, causing thousands of dollars worth of damages to victims. With thieves ranging from experienced professionals to amateurs looking for a quick buck, the issue has exploded in the county in recent years, said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz.

“I attribute this to two reasons,” Fitz said. “One, thieves have realized this is a cash cow for them, and also, scrap metal value has increased in recent years.”

Fitz describes scrap metal theft as an “equal opportunity crime,” as it affects people all across the region, both in urban and rural communities. Thieves have targeted metal from sources such as irrigation systems, wires, aluminum siding from both vacant and occupied homes, even manhole covers.

The appeal of metal theft comes not only from the high prices commanded by the material, particularly of nonferrous (nonmagnetic) metals such as copper, but also in the quick turnaround thieves can get for selling the material to scrap metal recyclers. Once handed over to recyclers, thieves often receive cash payments right on the spot, and the stolen materials are quickly melted, erasing nearly all evidence of the crime, Fitz said.

“There’s immediate cash, sometimes in modest amounts, sometimes in large amounts,” Fitz said. “The odds of getting caught are not extreme.”

In addition, the generic nature of the property makes identification of stolen material nearly impossible, Fitz said.

“It’s not Aunt Lily’s wedding band. It’s a piece of metal,” Fitz said. “It could have been from any thousands of houses.”

Fitz and his office believe metal theft has adversely affected local businesses. In a report his office created in 2012, Fitz partially blames the closure of Inverness Metal Castings in 2008 on a series of break-ins that occurred a few years prior, where a pair of brothers reportedly stole around $50,000 worth of copper from the building.

In addition, Fitz has talked to farmers and private citizens who have been impacted by metal thefts, including local farmer Brian McKenzie, who has testified in several cases in the past.

“He’s literally had to sit out in the fields all night long in a recliner chair to guard his irrigation system,” Fitz said. “He’s caught several thieves in the past.”

Part of the rise of scrap metal theft is linked to rise of meth use in the county, particularly in more rural areas of the county, Fitz said. Most of the metal thefts that occur in the county are a result of addicts looking for cash.

“In Cass County, meth addicts have been some of the most vigilant foot soldiers in the march to recycling centers,” Fitz said.

While many thieves recycle the stolen materials themselves, in some cases dealers have accepted scrap metal as direct payment in exchange for drugs, Fitz said.

In recent years, the problems stemming from scrap metal theft have been the subject of intense scrutiny from lawmakers in Lansing. The state congress has passed laws increasing the penalty for the theft of nonferrous metals to a minimum of five years in prison.

Cass County prosecutors have also made changes to the way they are dealing with the problem as well, most notably the fact they refuse to accept plea agreements from suspected scrap metal thieves. In addition, they have worked with law enforcement officials to provide education to local residents on how to secure their property against scrap metal thieves.

Fitz has also been actively campaigning for more stringent regulation of recycling facilities, testifying in front of state lawmakers about the problems Cass County has faced in combating metal theft.

“There are some decent tools we can use for prosecuting these [cases],” Fitz said. “However, the weakness remains to catch the bad guys at the one location they are most vulnerable, at the recycling facility.”

Both the chambers of the state congress have worked on legislation aimed at deterring the sale of stolen metal at recycling facilities, with provisions requiring delayed payments to sellers and photographs of purchased materials.

While local recycling facilities have always cooperated with law enforcement investigations in the past, many in the industry are hesitant to adopt such reforms, due mostly to the cost of implementation, Fitz said.

“Many of them do try to cooperate with us, but sometimes the bottom line tempers their enthusiasm,” Fitz said.