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Don Hatfield replaced the copper pipes stripped from a rental property he owns on Mulberry Street about a month ago.

"I put all new copper back in, and a few days later, someone stole it all again," he said.

Hatfield owns about 30 rental properties in Springfield and has had copper pipes stolen at least six times, aluminum siding once and gutters another time.

He plans on installing plastic pipes in the future.

As metal prices have risen in the past year, thieves have gutted houses for copper and other metal.

Police have made arrests and worked with scrap yards to document who is selling metal, treating them similar to pawn shops.

The thefts are a growing problem, City Law Director Jerry Stozdas said.

"We want to discourage the theft of building materials, but we do not want to discourage salvage yards," he said. "They provide a useful function."

Growing demand

Copper prices have climbed about 20 percent in the past year, said Kirby Thomas, general manager of Staker Alloys.

Growing demand in China has pumped up prices, he said.

Local scrap dealers pay about $2 a pound for copper and about 60 cents a pound for aluminum.

Metal thefts have picked up in the past year, mostly to support drug habits, Police Chief Stephen Moody said.

"That's what's driving all of this is narcotics addictions," he said.

Thieves have taken not only pipes and siding, but fences, air conditioners, catalytic convertors and downspouts.

Most of the thefts are in vacant homes, many in the southern part of the city, Sgt. Brian Peabody said.

The thefts can spark fires if natural gas lines are cut. Last year an explosion destroyed a townhouse in Columbus after a pipe theft.

Springfield firefighters aired out a High Street home to allow gas to escape after someone removed copper pipes there recently.

"It is dangerous," Moody said.

Hatfield fears just the thought of such a fire.

"I've been in this business for about 25 years, and I've been real fortunate to not have had a fire," he said. "I'd like to retire out of the business and never have a fire."

Intrusion

Property owners see a financial loss from the crimes.

At one of Hatfield's occupied duplexes on Southern Avenue someone broke in during the daytime, pulled out a copper pipe, the meter and shut-off valve.

Water poured into the basement, reaching about six inches deep, until the city turned off the water at the street.

Another property owner, Mike Major, had three vacant houses stripped of pipes on Broadway.

In one, the thief didn't turn the water off, so it continued to soak the basement until Major's son came to mow the lawn.

"It's really upsetting to have that kind of intrusion while you're trying to upgrade a home," he said. "We're trying to bring the property up, not have it taken down."

Police response

In the past three to six months, detectives have stepped up communication with local scrap dealers to track thieves and stolen goods, much like with pawn shops.

"They have been very aggressive on building a relationship up with these companies," Moody said.

That includes developing a CD in the past two months with forms dealers use to document sellers' names, drivers licenses and other identification and what they sold.

That information can be e-mailed regularly to detectives.

Moody understands the scrap dealers need to run a business and said they have been cooperative.

"When it's obtained illegally, we would hope they would work with us to better serve the community," Moody said.

Staker has helped catch thieves, Thomas said, and doesn't promote stealing.

Thieves hit some of the company's regular customers and break into the salvage yard itself.

"We caught somebody about a month ago," Thomas said. "He got in one of our buildings and then went to another yard and sold it."

Brion Haynes, plant manager of Springfield Recycling, uses digital cameras to record purchases.

He also recommended property owners paint their pipes weird colors, like pink or purple, and let him know. The business will keep an eye out for those pipes.

Legitimate scrappers know the rules, Haynes said.

"All people aren't stealing," he said. "It's just a few out there, and they make everybody else look bad."

Prevention

Peabody recommended property owners secure vacant homes as best they can.

He also encouraged neighbors to keep an eye out and call police to report suspicious activity.

Often neighbors believe legitimate contractors are working on properties, Moody said, but if they look at the type of vehicle used, they might notice something off.

"We just want people to be aware and to call ... We want to catch people in the act," Moody said.