[Editor’s note: the letter concerns a proposal from Grimmell Industries Inc. to locate a staging area for scrap ferrous metal inside the marine terminal at Mack Point. The metal would be brought to the site by truck then transferred to ships for export]

In addition to the many obvious problems associated with hosting a large-scale scrap metals operation in your town (noise, dust, litter, toxic runoffs), such an industry inevitably brings with it another important aspect to consider: an increase in crime.

Typically, this comes as a gradual but steady increase in thefts of all things metal, especially now that the price of many metals has risen in recent years.

Sometimes, the thief will use the proceeds to buy food or help pay an overdue bill, but more often, sadly, to finance a drug or alcohol addiction.  Currently, Maine has one of the highest rates of heroin abuse in the nation.  It's no secret that communities in the vicinity of scrap metal dealers and "recyclers" routinely experience dramatic increases in thefts and drug-related crimes; everything from bicycles, tools and plumbing fixtures to automobiles, ladders and even manhole covers - anything thieves desperate for some quick cash can get their hands on – magically disappear.  Rural neighborhoods, especially those with vacant or seasonal properties, quickly become very easy targets.

Naturally, this has led some states and municipalities to respond with stricter rules and regulations for scrap metal businesses, yet the problem persists, often because of a lack of funding for enforcement. Will the Searsport PD be hiring a Scrap Czar to oversee round-the-clock deliveries and chase down each and every illicit transaction?  And what minimum-wage scrap yard employee is going to question the credentials of the pickup driver idling impatiently by the scales with another ton or so of booty?

Searsport citizens and their town fathers should re-consider whether hosting a large-scale scrap metals dealer is worth these and other perils already being experienced by other host communities around the globe.

Peter L. Wilkinson
Belfast