From Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann:

Metal theft is an epidemic in Mississippi. Copper, aluminum and other metal thefts are skyrocketing. Over the past years, metal thefts have jumped over 1000%. This problem costs our communities millions of dollars each year.The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that metal theft is a $1,000,000,000 problem nationwide.

Our office has devised a solution to this growing problem. LeadsOnline has partnered with the Secretary of State’s office to provide the Metal Theft Investigation System, at no cost to taxpayers. Through public utility donors, we were able to secure funds for the implementation of the program for the first year, and we hope to receive funding from the State Legislature in subsequent years.

Read the Rest of Secretary Hosemann’s Capitol Epinion below the fold:

The Metal Theft Investigation System (MTIS) collects records from scrap yard transactions statewide and delivers instantaneous crucial information law enforcement officers need to solve metal theft cases. With this statewide web-based system, we are expecting Mississippi to see a reduction in the number of severity of metal thefts across the State, save time and money spent fixing damage caused by these crimes and see a rise in conviction rates for these types of crimes.

We encourage all states to adopt our system to provide an effective nationwide program to combat metal theft. For more information about the new program or about how to curb metal thefts in your state, visit our website at www.sos.state.ms.us.