By Josh Chetwynd
Ohio is home to the greatest number of metal theft insurance claims between 2012 and 2014, according to a new study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
Claims for loss, primarily in copper (though brass and aluminum were also reported), reached 4,438 during the reporting period. The study said that these claims primarily related to piping and wiring. Thefts were spread throughout the state, with Columbus (579), Cincinnati (515) and Cleveland (470) leading the way.
Ohio’s top spot reflects an alarming increase for the state as totals were three times greater than were reported in 2009. Overall, Ohio represents 11% of all national claims.
Still, experts are not sure exactly why the state has seen such an increase. That said, the NICB does believe that the statistic is tied to the overall health of the economy.
“Law enforcement agencies across the country and around the globe started seeing increased numbers of thefts of metals such as copper, bronze, brass, and aluminum in the years leading up to the recent economic downturn,” the organization’s report said.
The good news nationally is that Ohio is an outlier in this area. Thefts peaked in 2012 and numbers have been dropping since.
Nevertheless, a number of other Northeast states continue to be among the leaders in this form of robbery. Pennsylvania placed second in the study with 2,379 insurance claims. New Jersey was fourth (2,139) and New York came in sixth (2,127).
