New Crime Warnings

With the evolution of society comes the evolution ofonly dangerous for the unsuspecting driver, but also
crime. Items that were overlooked, discarded, scrap,for every other vehicle that may be beside or behind
or trash have increased in value so much that thesethe unfortunate family that is first into the scene of
items have become hot commodities for thieves.the crime.
What you are throwing away could very well beRestaurant Grease
valuable enough for someone to steal.Processed fryer oil is called yellow grease, and is
Coppertraded on the commodities market. It is a form of
Due to global demand in electronics manufacturingbiodiesel fuel that can be used in some cars and
and construction, copper prices continue to defy thetrucks. As the prices of gas and ethanol have risen
laws of gravity and are selling at record high prices.dramatically, so has the value of yellow grease. From
Collection and recycling centers are paying increasingly2000 to 2008, the price of processed fryer oil
higher prices per pound for copper, and this hasincreased on the commodities trading market from 7
incentivized a new breed of crooks to prowl for thecents per pound to 33 cents per pound, which is
precious metal.nearly US $2.50 a gallon.
Copper theft happens under the cover of darkness,Yes, it's true. That grease that is used to cook your
and in broad daylight. Thieves are taking copper fromFrench Fries is also a lower cost alternative to the
cell phone towers, baseball field lights, and stealingstuff that you are probably pumping into the tank of
huge spools of copper wire from utility companyyour automobile. As oil prices continue to increase
grounds. Security guards are posted at manyrelentlessly, so does the price of yellow grease, and
construction sites, due to the propensity for somethe gas that fills your tank.
robbers to illegally abscond with copper wire fromA New Economic Engine
commercial and home building sites. There have evenWith so much attention on sustainability,
been reports of individuals returning home from aenvironmental protection, electronic waste, and
day at work, only to discover that a mysterious lackcompliance, society has made tremendous strides to
of water pressure was due to missing copper pipesprotect mother earth. In the process of reusing
that were cut out and removed from the crawlprecious metals to alleviate the depletion of natural
spaces beneath their homes.resources, and avoid dumping toxic waste into landfills
Industrious robbers have been so bold as to takeand water supplies, we have created a rapid new
massive sculptures from public parks under the covermarketplace for those items that were formerly
of darkness, and desperate enough to steal theregarding as scrap, waste, or trash. That is the good
copper plaques from gravestones. In spite of thenews, that your trash really is someone else's
bold maneuvers of these thieves, it can be atreasure. The bad news is that some unsavory
challenge for law enforcement in some areas toindividuals want to take that treasure with
adjust to the new wave of criminals. Proving the illicitinappropriate means. It is a situation that will continue
activity of a copper robber can be a tricky task for ato escalate and aggravate society until proper
cop. Some bungling thieves have short-circuited thecontrols are created to monitor and manage the
legal system and suffered immediate consequencesbuying, selling, and trading of metals, materials, and
by electrocuting themselves in the process ofeven grease.
attempting to steal live copper wires.The proper response to this situation is not to create
Beer Kegscostly and unenforceable regulations, but rather to
For years, the biggest concern for beer kegs wasembrace this new economic engine with appropriate
monitoring the drinking age of the consumer. Thatguidelines and traceable transactions. There are
was until the word got out that the stainless steelmillions of dollars exchanged in the processing of
kegs are valuable empty, as well as full. Thieves areelectronic waste, scrap, and metals. There is an
taking the empty kegs from alleyways behind barsenormous river of currency that flows like an
and breweries, or looting the empty kegs from underaqueduct under the foundations of society, with
the unsuspecting noses of inebriated collegiatealmost no notice except for the thirty foot holes
revelers. The price paid for stainless steel scrap hasthat open in front of our very eyes. The days of
more than doubled in the last five years, and withtreating reusable materials as inconsequential garbage
demand rising for the metal, it is expected that thishave passed and are buried in an unmarked grave,
trend will continue.because someone stole the copper plaque. There is a
Catalytic Convertersnew resource in renewable materials, and an evolving
When was the last time that you went shopping formarketplace that demands our attention. In the
jewelry and noticed the comparative price forprocess of being environmentally conscious, we have
platinum? When an album goes platinum, it is causecreated a new source for sustainable green dollars in
for celebration. However, when the catalyticthe economy. As the price for new resources
converter is stolen from your car in the middle of thecontinues to grow, so does the demand for the old.
night, it is cause for alarm. Catalytic converters_________________
contain between three to seven grams of theWords of Wisdom
precious metal that trades at over US $1,471.50 per"You are a product of your environment. So choose
ounce. As awareness has increased of this rollingthe environment that will best develop you toward
goldmine of platinum, so has the rate of theft.your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its
Reports of stolen catalytic converters has graduallyenvironment. Are the things around you helping you
reached epidemic proportions, but has managed totoward success - or are they holding you back?"
avoid making front page headlines. Perhaps the lack- Clement Stone
of public awareness is due to the fact that many of"Engineering is the professional and systematic
the defenseless victims had the catalytic convertersapplication of science to the efficient utilization of
stolen from their cars while parked at the samenatural resources to produce wealth."
party at which the kegs were stolen? This could- T. J. Hoover and J. C. L. Fish - 1941
explain the difficulty in obtaining consistent"Engineering is the professional art of applying science
descriptions of the criminals and the scene of theto the optimum conversion of natural resources to
crime. Some people might suspect that there wouldthe benefit of man."
be some method for identifying and capturing a- Ralph J. Smith
suspect that has a pick-up truck loaded with empty"The engineer is the key figure in the material
kegs, catalytic converters, large copper statues andprogress of the world. It is his engineering that
gravestone plaques. Then again, this does sound likemakes a reality of the potential value of science by
a typical night on campus.translating scientific knowledge into tools, resources,
Manhole Coversenergy and labor to bring them into the service of
This is not an urban myth. Manhole covers haveman ... To make contributions of this kind the
become such a coveted item for trade-in value thatengineer requires the imagination to visualize the
many streets have become littered with unsafeneeds of society and to appreciate what is possible
gaping holes. According to the New York Timesas well as the technological and broad social age
description of the situation in Philadelphia, "thievesunderstanding to bring his vision to reality."
have so thoroughly stripped the neighborhoods on- Sir Eric Ashby
the city's north and southwest sides that some"Engineers participate in the activities which make the
blocks look like slalom courses, dotted with orangeresources of nature available in a form beneficial to
cones to warn drivers and pedestrians of gapingman and provide systems which will perform
holes, some nearly 30 feet deep." The New Yorkoptimally and economically."
Times reports, "More than 2,500 covers and grates- L. M. K. Boelter - 1957
have disappeared in the past year, up from an annual"Engineering is the professional and systematic
average of about 100."application of activities for translating scientific
For the citizens of Philadelphia, the theft of manholeknowledge to achieve optimum conversion of natural
covers is no laughing matter. The criminals are notresources for the benefit of man, wealth, society,
deterred by the changing of the seasons. A slalomand economy. Engineers are incredibly effective at
course of roads pitted with thirty foot holes isreusing knowledge, but are not very creative at
dangerous enough in daylight, but how much worseredefining themselves.
will this situation become with snow and ice? It is not