Metal Scrappers and Thieves

Benjamin F. Stickle METAL SCRAPPERS AND THIEVES Scavenging for Survival and Profit Metal Scrappers and Thieves Benjamin F. Stickle Metal Scrappers and Thieves Scavenging for Survival and Profit Benjamin F. Stickle Criminal Justice Administration Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA ISBN 978-3-319-57501-8 ISBN 978-3-319-57502-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57502-5 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017948083 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- tional affiliations. Cover illustration © Richard Carlton / Alamy Stock Photo Cover Design by Thomas Howey Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland To Amy FOREWORD Crime is a social problem that permeates society and brings harms to many and benefits to some. People suffer the consequences of crime every day, in every community. Similarly, others commit crimes daily, many times without notice or seemingly without significant consequences. Luckily, at this point in time, we know a fair amount about crime, criminals, vic- tims, criminal contexts, and a host of other related issues. What we know about these issues, however, tends to be about particular types of criminal offenses. We have well-developed bodies of literature about homicide, robbery, burglary, theft, assault, sex offenses, drug offenses, and even many criminal offenses at misdemeanor levels. We even have a decent understanding about the basics of many “less common” or less studied crimes such as white-collar offenses, arson, and even “victimless” crimes such as prostitution. However, even with these bodies of knowledge, we are far from understanding crime and those involved in it in any compre- hensive way. As Ben Stickle makes clear in Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit, we still have a lot to learn about crime, and for some crimes, we are literally still just scratching the surface of pos- sible knowledge. In this book, Stickle focuses unprecedented attention on a form of crime that is largely unrecognized, rarely discussed or addressed in policy and law, seemingly impossible for law enforcement agents to stop, and yet also a form of crime with very large, expensive, and potentially fatal consequences. The theft of metal—often from functioning, fully useful, and sometimes very important settings and locations—is a heretofore unstud- ied form of criminality. In bringing this form of crime to light, Stickle vii viii FOREWORD has ventured into a previously untapped social world and provides a solid understanding of the importance, means, actors, and challenges of engag- ing in metal theft. While certainly far from a “final answer” to the problem, Stickle’s study of metal theft and thieves provides a strong foundation to build upon, for both future scholars and policymakers. One of the important contributions of this book is the theoretical insight that the criminal offense of metal theft is a derivative and spin-off of an analogous yet significantly different activity and subculture: metal scrapping and metal scrappers. Through an examination of how scrappers function, who they are, how they interact with other scrappers and the broader community, Stickle delivers an understanding of the rhythms and flow of a subculture that exists in plain sight, yet is unrecognized and generally unacknowledged. What is intriguing here is not the actual actions or characteristics of scrappers, but instead how this subculture provides the foundation from which a criminal subculture arises. Scrappers are very different from metal thieves, yet they operate in ways that reflect the broader subculture. Rather than seeing scrappers and metal thieves as interchangeable and equally harmful, Stickle shows us how thieves are typically graduates of scrapping. How and where in this evolution crime emerges is the focal point of interest for those interested in arresting this form of expensive criminality. However, it is not just advances in our understandings of crime and subcultures that Stickle provides readers with valuable insights. He also provides readers with a quintessential example of the value of qualitative research. Through interviews, interactions, and simply “being with” scrappers and thieves, Stickle shows how qualitative methods can provide rich, detailed, contextualized, and (hopefully) policy-informing knowledge. In the pages that follow, readers will experience the best that qualitative research methods have to offer: an objective, thorough, and well-explained and well-supported explanation for serious, understudied social problems. In the end, Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit provides an excellent example of the application of qualitative methods, how to study a world that has not been previously examined, and how to find the ways that subcultures spawn yet other, sometimes criminal, subcultures. This is a study of more than just a simple form of theft. This is a study of a hidden world where regular people engage in regular activities that sometimes evolve into criminal activities. Crime is everywhere in our society, and as Stickle clearly illustrates in Metal Scrappers and Thieves: Scavenging for Survival and Profit, sometimes most of us are unaware and FOREWORD ix uninformed of some of the very serious forms of crime in our midst. After reading this book, readers will be enlightened to a hidden-in-plain-sight set of subcultures and a form of criminality that costs us all in ways we never realize. Richard Tewksbury University of Louisville ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I acknowledge the impact and dedication of my family. I am especially indebted to my wife, Amy. Without your love, support, sacrifice, and encouragement I would not be where I am today and words can- not express my gratitude or indebtedness. To my children, Emery and Caroline, who motivate me to excel and provided much-needed relaxation and enjoyment between scrapping expeditions. To my parents, Dr. and Mrs. Fred E. Stickle, who fostered and encouraged my intellectual and moral development. I thank Dr. Richard Tewksbury, for his guidance, encouragement, and patience; his teaching and mentorship allowed me to see academia in a new and exciting way. I also thank Dr. Patricia Gagné, Dr. Deborah Keeling, and the late Dr. Eric McCord for their assistance, insight, and guidance in this project. I am especially indebted to my undergraduate professor and mentor, Chief Donald G. Hanna, who pushed me to master my profession (and myself), as well as Dr. Susan Warner, who inspired me with her lectures to actually see the world. I also thank Dr. Jackie Sandifer, who gave me my first chance and encouraged me to keep going. I also acknowledge the influence of current and past members of the criminal justice profession, who taught me the skills and character cru- cial to faithfully serve others and who stood by me while keeping the peace. Specifically, I acknowledge the positive impact by Doug Chisholm, xi xii Acknowledgments Don Parvin, Bill Randolph, Kenny Betts, Robert Hansen, Curt Clark, Josh Hughes, Ernie Steff, Robert Kitchen, and Brett Pitchford. Finally, I acknowledge those who opened their lives to me for this book. I will not mention you by name, but your willingness to take me into your lives, your homes, your businesses, and your world has allowed me to write this book. CONTENTS Part I Introduction to Scrapping 1 1 Introduction 3 1.1 Why Scrapping and Metal Theft? 3 1.2 Recycling in the United States 5 1.3 Metal Theft: The Emerging Crime Type 10 References 13 2 Approach 15 2.1 Data Collection Methods 15 2.2 Field Setting and Respondents 20 2.3 Getting In 21 2.4 Data Analysis and Presentation 26 References 28 3 Taxonomy of Scrappers and Metal Thieves 31 3.1 What Is Scrapping and Metal Theft? 31 3.2 Taxonomy 32 3.3 Summary 48 References 49 xiii xiv Contents 4 Scrappers as a Subculture 51 4.1 The Scrapper’s Code 51 4.2 A Cohesive Community 64 4.3 No Honor Among Thieves 73 4.4 Summary 76 References 77 Part II Primer on Metal Theft 79 5 History, Harms, and Prevalence of Metal Theft 81 5.1 Primer on Metals 81 5.2 Autopsy of an Epidemic: Why Metal Theft Rates Increased

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