Recent Successes of ReMA’s National Metals Theft Database

Scraptheftalert.com, or Materialstheftalert.com as it will be known in the future, has seen several great success stories in June and July of 2025.

Launched by ReMA in 2009 to help fight material theft, ScrapTheftAlert.com allows users to submit and receive alerts about stolen materials or suspicious incidents. Once a report is submitted to ScrapTheftAlert.com, the system searches U.S. and Canadian postal codes within 100 miles of the theft location and sends an email to all those who have enrolled in the system in that radius. The site administrator can expand the radius when warranted. Approximately 3.5 million dollars’ worth of material has been recovered with the system. 

“Scraptheftalert.com is a successful system that assists in the recovery of stolen property,” said Todd Foreman, ReMA’s Senior Director of Law Enforcement Outreach. “It is great that we have the opportunity to help recover stolen property and catch thieves and prevent future thefts.” 

There were two recent success stories in Michigan. In June, Scraptheftalert.com received a report of aluminum conductor cable solen valued at $2,000. This material was recovered with the assistance of a recycler who called the local police after the alert was broadcast. That same month, the system received a submission involving stolen truck batteries that were recovered by a recycler. The batteries were valued at $1,600. Arrests have been made, and the investigations are ongoing.

In July, $18,500 worth of telecommunications wire were recovered in Indiana. The deputy reported that within one hour of the alert, a nearby county reached out and informed him they received a call from a recycling company that had purchased a large amount of copper. When the deputy followed up, law enforcement officials and the victim of the theft identified the copper wire. The recycler provided a video of the process of receiving the material until the suspects were paid. The deputy was able to make arrests, and the prosecutors now have the case. 

“We know that these types of thefts happen all the time around the U.S., but we don’t always receive the follow-up on the cases. So, it’s great to receive these notifications of recyclers calling in about incidents and helping to assist with material recovery and from law enforcement and victims reporting too,” Foreman said. “The more the system is utilized by law enforcement and recyclers, the more successes we will have.”

Photo by Matt Popovich on Unsplash.