I have worked for public entities, and dealt with claims for property losses involving theft of copper wire. One of our losses exceeded $500,000. After reading about the Edmonds School District, I again wonder how to stop these losses (“Wire theft at Edmonds stadium, softball fields to cost $20K,” The Herald Sept. 24.
Is there a way that any wiring that is installed for public entities have special colors or markings (available only to public entities and installed on public entity construction projects) that would signal to a scrap metal dealer that these come from a public entity? You couldn’t accept them with these markings unless they were sold by the school district (or other public entity).
The scrap dealers would need to have that paperwork on file. It may make the thieves less likely to want to target a public entity. And the paperwork requirement would make it easy for police departments to see if the scrap metal buyer was on the up and up.
Cathy Reineke
Lynnwood
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