Older cars a higher risk for theft, scrap metal sales
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NORTH JACKSON, Tenn. — A loophole in state law makes it a lot easier for someone to steal your vehicle and sell it for scrap the same day. “In the state of Tennessee if a car is 12 years or older, it can be scrapped without the use of a title,” Lieutenant Jeff Shepard with Jackson Police Department said. The same law also requires the seller to leave behind a fingerprint and photo I.D., so when authorities track down the stolen car, the thief is easy to catch. In West Tennessee, tracking down the car is the hard part. “There’s no central database in Tennessee that all scrap yards have to report to. If that was the case it would make it easier for law enforcement to find those cars,” Lt. Shepard said. Steve Jones from Dale’s Recycling said they try to help by keeping record of every car they process. “I would say they’re going to get caught. I mean we’re going to record the VIN number, have all that info in our database when the car comes up stolen,” Jones said. Selling a car for scrap is enticing for thieves even though they’re required to provide a thumbprint and copy of their photo I.D. Jones said his company buys as many as 15 vehicles a day, averaging a payout of $500, even though he says many are worth more. “There’s venues, advertising and they could get a lot more but they’re willing to take a lot less for cash right now today,” Jones said. “It’s one of the sad details of working property crimes that when we do find the car, unfortunately a lot of times the car has been destroyed,” Lt. Shepard said. Stealing a car is a felony offense, which could mean more than a year in prison.
