Originally Posted by
azscrapper
When scrap metal is located within private property lines it is illegal to take the metal without permission. Yes, that refrigerator or that vacuum cleaner is 2-3 feet away from the alley.. but without permission you do not know the whole story. There are too many unanswered questions.. Maybe the metal was placed there for another scrapper to pick up.. who knows? That is the problem.. I have seen this before and knocked on the door of the home to find out that they put the scrap there so it was easier for their cousin to load when he gets there in an hour.. Funny thing is.. they were watching me whole time.. people are not stupid..
When the scrap is in the street or in the alley it is FAIR GAME. There are no questions..
Yes, you may have done someone a favor by removing the scrap.. but you have to get that mentality out of your head. Metal is money and a lot of people know it whether you like it or not. What you did was illegal and if you are ever labeled a metal thief by your local police.. well.. good luck scrapping.. Did those neighbors get your license plate?
There is too much metal theft and police are cracking down.. the only way to operate your business is the legitimate way. Sometimes, it is too good to be true and you just have to walk away..
Freedom is much more valuable to me then a 25 dollar load. Just saying..
Very well stated. Even running a legitimate business working with scrap can be a pain in the ass.
One day coming home from Chilliwhack we pulled into the Husky for a take out lunch when suddenly we were boxed in by three police cars in front of the restaurant. Why well we had the most beautiful load of heavy walled copper pipe used as buss bar in a hydro sub station. The copper came from a large sawmill a buddy was dismantling, I was taking the copper back to his yard for him as a favor.
Someone had stolen some aluminum irrigation pipe and this is what the police figured we had on board, we were detained until the owner of the irrigation pipe could show up to say hey guys this is copper not my pipe.
On other occasions I had visits to my scrap yard from security from both the municipal yards and the railway looking for stolen goods.
Now here is an example of color of right, one neighbor has some junkers parked encroaching onto his neighbors property, in other words the cars were parked illegally on his neighbors property.
The neighbor gave several notices to have the cars removed, the guy ignored these requests. The absentee owner who's property is cluttered with someone else's junk cars phones me from another Province asking me to remove said derelicts.
I said aright by me, all I need is a fax giving me authorization, which was sent that very afternoon. I removed the cars to my yard. A week or two later a cop pulls into my yard asking me if I have such and such cars. The cop arrests me, takes me to lock up, As he is booking me in, I tell him about the authorization, he wants it badly.
I would not give him the original, only a photo copy, gad knows where the original could end up. To serve and protect a big joke.
Cop makes the call to the landowner who tells him yes he asked me to remove the cars, here's were it gets real funny when the cop drives me back home the gate is closed and locked. He looks at me an smiles then says looks like your locked out.
Ha Ha idiot the gate is closed to keep you out , I'm free to come and go as I please.
If I only had a camera for that moment, that picture was worth more than a thousand words.
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