A veteran lawmaker, along with law enforcement officials from across The Times and Democrat Region, met at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Tuesday afternoon to learn how to put a dent in the surge in metal thefts.

Joseph Rich, owner of Sunshine Recycling, called for formation of a community coalition consisting of scrap metal dealers, law enforcement and legislators in the fight against metal theft. District 66 Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter and law enforcement officials from North to Lexington were on hand to hear how the community can form such a coalition.

Rich told the group his own facility is using DataDot technology to offset thefts which have also affected his business. Three of Sunshine’s air conditioning units, valued at $18,000, were stolen.

“This touches everybody in more than one way. We believe that this is an issue for the Legislature to take up,” said Rich, who had David Barnes, DataDot Technology sales and marketing manager, explain how the technology works.

DataDots are no larger than a grain of sand, but each contain an owner identification code, Barnes said. They can be sprayed on objects, where they can be identified by law enforcement using an ultraviolet light and magnifying glass, he said. Sunshine has already implemented the technology in its nonferrous metal division.

“We just want the thieves to walk away. If we can make it difficult for them ... it’s proven that they will walk away. Thieves are notoriously lazy,” Barnes said.

Rich said Sunshine Recycling has already implemented strategies to reduce the theft of copper, aluminum and other metals thieves attempt to sell for quick cash.

Sunshine Recycling has invested about $86,000 in the identification and prosecution of metal thieves, he said. In addition to requiring documentation and identification from sellers, the facility maintains 48 color cameras that produce time and date stamp videos linked to all sales, Rich said.

The cameras track customers from the time they enter the facility until they leave, he said.

There are four cameras designated for license plate numbers only. Rich said once customers unload their metal, they must stand in front of two cameras, provide valid identification and certify the materials they are recycling belong to them.

Vehicle sales are also checked through a national database for stolen vehicles.

Rich said partnerships with community members, including such law enforcement agencies as the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department, are critical in helping to eliminate the crime. Sunshine purchased $3,000 worth of DataDot technology, which was distributed to every law enforcement official at Tuesday’s coalition meeting.

A Web site and hot-line have already been set up for use in helping to track metal theft and identify thieves, Rich said.

Cobb-Hunter said while the General Assembly’s role is not to advocate a particular company, it can learn more about the technology itself.

“Those are the conversations that I’ve had with legislative counsel. We passed legislation last year in our effort to address this issue, but the legislation we passed is not enough,” she said.

The South Carolina Legislature passed a law in June requiring purchasers of copper to get a copy of the seller’s identification, along with a license plate number and photograph and a description of the materials sold. Records must be maintained for two years from the date of purchase. The law also makes it a criminal offense to cut or deface property for the purpose of obtaining copper and other metals, with violators facing up to 10 years in prison.

The law applies to purchase of copper wire, pipe, bars and sheeting, along with aluminum (although not the purchase or sale of aluminum cans) and stainless steel beer kegs.

“Not every recycling company is as progressive as Sunshine Recycling. What I’ve been in conversation with legislative counsel about is, ‘What are the requirements for opening up a recycling business?’ I mean, could I just go buy a couple of acres and hang out and say, ‘I’m a recycler,’ get a business license and then have people just bringing stuff in and dumping stuff?” Cobb-Hunter said. “We just can’t allow that.”

She said she has legislative counsel exploring ways the laws which govern the establishment of metal recycling businesses can be tweaked and made less gray.

“The legislative process is a very slow process. In the meantime, thieves are not going to take a holiday from ripping people off. What I would encourage us to do here is to join this coalition. Whatever we do has to be done statewide because all you’re doing is driving them (thieves) into somebody else’s territory and creating a problem for somebody else,” Cobb-Hunter said.

Orangeburg Mayor Paul Miller said while it was a great day in Orangeburg County to have a coalition in place, he wasn’t having a great day when an air conditioning unit at his new home was stolen for a loss of $3,000.

“We do have a problem. I think that all of us are plagued by the theft,” Miller said.

Calhoun County Sheriff Thomas Summers said he was familiar with the DataDot technology, noting that he will work to make it a part of his department’s crime prevention unit.

“It’s something that I’ve actually thought about in the past. When I was approached by Sunshine to partner with them, I thought it was a great time to implement it,” he said.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5534.

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