Preventing Stolen Item Purchases: An Insider's Perspective from an Indy Scrap Yard

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is still investigating after hundreds of bronze vases were stolen from New Crown Cemetery earlier this week. According to IMPD, 246 solid bronze vases were stolen from headstones, with an estimated value of $170,000.

Two bronze markers inscribed with names and dates of birth were also taken, valued at $5,000.

Bronze vase theft has become an issue at cemeteries across the nation, as these items are often stolen and sold for the scrap value of the metal.

Nevada Matthews, Vice President of Farnsworth Metal Recycling, says his facility buys scrap metal, with big, bold letters on their facility making that clear. Mostly copper, aluminum, steel, and iron are accepted, but precious metals like gold, silver, or platinum are not.

Matthews says they have processes in place to ensure the metal they're buying is legitimate. "What my guys do if the person has a lot of things, ask for letterhead. We go through documentation. Once I get the letterhead, I call the company it was received from," Matthews said.

Matthews shares that people often steal these items to try to turn a profit at scrap yards like his. He's seen customers bring in stolen vases and attempt to alter them to disguise their origin. "I've seen customers bring them in and do certain things to them and try to change it up so it did not look like a vase, but my guys have enough documentation and showed them what they would look like," he said.

Matthews is working closely with IMPD daily to prevent thieves from making a quick buck at local yards. "The police department gets a report every day from every scrap yard in town. We have to send them electronically, so they know what people are bringing in every day," he said.