Albany, NY – A new state law makes it harder for people to sell stolen copper and other scrap metals.
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The law requires anyone selling scrap metal worth at least $50 to a dealer must provide a government-issued photo ID. They also must provide a statement saying when, where and from whom they got the metal, which the dealer must file with local law enforcement.
Any scrap dealer must keep a copy of the seller's photo ID on file for at least two years.
If a dealer fails to comply, it's a misdemeanor and a $200 fine.
Just this past Dec., Fallsburg police nabed three teens at a Woodbourne summer camp and recover two duffel bags of copper piping worth about $600.
Copper theft has increased as the price for copper has risen from 60 cents a pound in 2001 to an average of $3 a pound.