Law enforcement officials and state legislators alike are hoping a new bill recently signed by Gov. Robert Bentley will cut down on the theft and illegal sale of metal, especially copper, throughout the state.

House Bill 278, sponsored by State Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, in the Alabama House and Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile, in the Senate, will create new guidelines for the sale of metal to scrap yards and hold more individuals responsible for its collection.

“This [problem] is incredibly widespread,” Poole said. “It is a problem that impacts everybody. It’s a problem in urban areas, it’s a problem in rural areas, it’s a problem for private industry and it’s a problem for governmental agencies. It’s just a problem for everybody in every corner of the state.”

The theft of scrap metal, as well as its sale, was illegal prior to the bill’s passage, but HB 278 enacts stiffer guidelines for both metal seller and secondary metal recyclers who purchase the metal.

Under the new law, those selling metal to scrap yards will be asked for personal information, have the item attempting to be sold recorded and have themselves and their license plate photographed, which will then be uploaded to a statewide database that is accessible by law enforcement officials at any time.

“If you’re a police officer in Selma and you get a report of some stolen copper in your city, you can’t drive over to every scrap yard in West Alabama to check their logs. It’s not possible,” Poole said. “But now, if I’m the police officer in Selma, I can look it up and say, ‘OK, this is what I know was stolen in Selma, let me see if something similar has popped up somewhere else in the state in the last 24 hours.’ Or they may have a suspect, and they can say, ‘OK, did suspect X show up at a dealer in Tuscaloosa?’ So it gives law enforcement a nice tool there.”

Additionally, the law identifies certain items that are illegal for secondary metal recyclers to purchase, with a few exceptions. Poole said metal thieves often do thousands of dollars worth of damage to steal a coil worth only $100, and the bill, which passed with bipartisan support, will address that.

“It really tries to go right at the heart of some of the key items that are being stolen and cut off the demand for those items,” Poole said.