Clamping Down

Cities look to security locking devices, stiffer penalties, different materials and stricter regulations on metal recyclers as ways to deter thefts of manhole covers

City and utility officials know that manhole covers are disappearing from the streets — some 2,050 from Philadelphia alone in just the first seven months of 2008.

The question is what to do about it. Officials across the country are taking a wide range of steps to curtail theft, from installing security locking devices, to replacing high-value iron covers with plastic covers that have little or no worth on the scrap market, to passing laws that require metal recyclers to identify those who sell materials to them.

It’s all because the value of scrap metals — including the cast iron that most manhole covers are made from — has risen rapidly in recent months, creating incentive for thieves. The cost of replacing the covers is a concern, but a much bigger one is the safety issue: Open manholes present a serious hazard.

On the rise

If you asked Ryan Alsop about stolen manhole covers a couple of years ago, he might have dismissed the question. Not so today. Alsop, director of government and public affairs at the Long Beach Water Department in Long Beach, Calif., reported one stolen manhole cover in that year and none in 2007 — this from the state’s fifth largest city (population of 500,000). But manhole cover thefts in Long Beach reached 80 by the midpoint of this year.

No city has been as hard hit in the first half of the year than Philadelphia, where manhole cover thefts set the city back $300,000 in replacement costs. Phoenix had 10 stolen in 2007, but that number rose to 160 just seven months into 2008.

“It’s a sign of the times,” said Sgt. Jay Baker, a sheriff in Cherokee County, Ga., where 28 manhole covers were lifted. “When the economy gets bad, people start stealing iron,” he told USA Today.

Since most covers are stolen in the middle of the night, repair crews can’t immediately replace them. “Virtually anything could fall into a hole, including an unsuspecting pedestrian, a child on a bike or scooter, or kids playing tag,” Alsop says. Automobiles could also face serious damage.

Alsop says Long Beach spent $500 to replace each stolen cast-iron manhole cover, for a total of $40,000 in six months. That could buy a lot of textbooks for local public school students. Moreover, two drivers whose cars were damaged are suing the city for the cost of repairs.

Alsop admits that the rash of manhole cover thefts “has taken us by surprise. It’s a huge task to figure out how we change from the traditional method of maintaining them to how we mitigate the potential for theft,” he says.

Change materials?

Manhole cover thefts are directly connected to the rising cost of scrap metal, which sold for $77 per ton in 2001, $300 per ton in 2004 and $500 per ton in 2008. As fast as you could say, “Get a crowbar, two guys and a van,”thefts proliferated. The National Conference of State Legislatures noted that 16 states had passed bills (and 12 more are pending) to increase penalties for stealing manhole covers and to require scrap metal recyclers to fingerprint their customers.

Catching the criminals in the act or identifying them after the crime is not easy. Law enforcement experts say the most effective way to nail the thieves is to work with scrap metal recyclers to identify the criminals trying to sell the stolen property.

The Long Beach police department learned that many stolencovers had been transported and sold in Mexico, making it very difficult to catch the thieves. Police were working with local scrap dealers to gather leads and investigate the crimes.

After thefts started mounting, the city began researching the most cost-effective ways to replace the covers. Options include switching to cheaper plastic covers and buying any of several locking devices.

Another factor municipalities must consider is the liability exposure. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on a case in which a 30-year-old University of Pennsylvania medical student fractured his back after a fall into an open manhole and in February 2008 won an $18 million award from Triger-Philadelphia Energy Corp.

To replace the 2,050 stolen manhole covers, Philadelphia is investigating composite plastic covers, says Laura Copeland, a spokesperson for its water department.

“They’re not metal, have no real value and provide easy access,” Copeland says. Philadelphia had looked into tarring or welding the covers in place, but ruled that out because both measures would prevent quick access to the manhole in case of emergencies.

To minimize thefts, the city has started chaining the covers with two locking bolts, notes Martin McCall, a superintendent in the water department. He acknowledged that thieves could still break through the bolts, but so far, none has been stolen since the bolts were added.

Though publicity about the rise in manhole cover thefts in Philadelphia could be viewed as a negative, Copeland thinks the attention may contribute to curtailing the crime. “I think public awareness is a key factor and can be a deterrent. The fact that it’s on the news and has become a national issue can help stem the problem,” she said.

Working with recyclers

Cleveland has kept its manhole cover thefts under control by establishing an overall approach to stolen metal, not just manhole covers. By mid-2008, the city had seen 50 manhole covers and 24 catch basin grates stolen. Staff looked at the broad issue of stolen metals as a crime, including theft of metals from homes vacant due to foreclosure. The city worked with the police to target scrap metal recyclers, notes Barry Withers, director of the city’s water department.

To discourage theft, each Cleveland recycler must file reports to the police with the names and addresses of people who sell metals to them. The city threatened to prosecute recyclers who accept stolen material and fence stolen goods, and also made penalties for theft more severe. If the thieves have no outlet to sell the stolen material, odds are the number of thefts will drop, Withers says.

To make the crime more difficult, Cleveland tarred about 20 manhole covers in certain areas. Withers acknowledged that thieves still could remove the covers, but it would be noisier and more time-consuming and make the crime more noticeable.

Among cities that have bought manhole cover lock devices is Miami, Fla. After seeing manhole cover thefts rise by 90 percent, the city conducted field tests on various manhole locks. It used some of its $330,000 federal and state Homeland Security grants to acquire 2,000 Manhole Barrier devices from Manhole Barrier Security Systems Inc. in Garden City, N.Y.

Copeland, of the Philadelphia Water Department, expects manhole cover thefts to decline because of police vigilance, scrap recyclers’ reporting of customer information to the police, chaining down the covers, and using plastic covers rather than cast iron.



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