Aug 29, 2017   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Recycling Industry Teams Up With Law Enforcement to Fight Materials Theft

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) today announced that ScrapTheftAlert.com is now available on the Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP). LEEP’s over 60,000 registered users in law enforcement, intelligence groups, and criminal justice now have access to the alert system, which assists in the fight against materials theft.

“Since it was created by the recycling industry nearly 10 years ago, ScrapTheftAlert.com has become a proven tool in identifying and apprehending criminals, sharing intelligence across jurisdictions, and recovering stolen property,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “Strengthening the relationship between recyclers and law enforcement is top priority for the recycling industry. As a service provider on LEEP, law enforcement has better access to broadcast information out about stolen materials. And recyclers will be better informed to be on the lookout for such materials. It is a win-win for everyone except criminals.”

ScrapTheftAlert.com is a free online alert system that allows registered users to send broadcast email alerts out to 100 mile radius of a theft (the area can be expanded if needed). Detailed descriptions and photos can be uploaded so nearby recycling facilities can be on the lookout for stolen materials. In addition, it contains enhanced search features for vetted law enforcement officials. Since its launch in 2008, there have been more than 18,500 alerts issued by more than 21,000 active users. The system has helped recover more than $2.1 million in property.

LEEP is a gateway for thousands of users in the criminal justice, intelligence, and military communities to gain access to critical data protected at Controlled Unclassified Information level in one centralized location. With one click, users can securely access national security, public safety, and terrorism information contained within dozens of federal information systems, including: cyber-crime investigative resources; situational awareness tools; nationwide criminal justice records; national gang information; training tools; secure file sharing; national security and suspicious activity reporting data; geo-spatial tools; as well as tools to report crime statistics and police data. Consistent with the National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding, LEEP also connects users to other federations serving the United States Intelligence Community, the criminal intelligence community, and homeland security community. LEEP gives users the ability to transfer and use information efficiently and effectively in a consistent manner across multiple organizations and systems to accomplish operational goals.

Earlier this year, ISRI also became a service provider on the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) to make ScrapTheftAlert.com available through the RISS network. That agreement provided access to the alert system to more than 117,000 law enforcement officers in almost 9,000 agencies that are members of RISS.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry™." ISRI represents more than 1,100 companies in 21 chapters in the U.S. and 35 countries that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides education, advocacy, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. Generating nearly $117 billion annually in U.S. economic activity, the scrap recycling industry provides nearly half a million Americans with good jobs.