Todd Foreman, ReMA’s Senior Director of Law Enforcement Outreach, had a busy 2024. He traveled to conventions, conducted trainings, and made new contacts with law enforcement to discuss the recycled materials industry and scraptheftalert.com, a tool for law enforcement to alert recyclers of significant thefts of materials in the U.S. and Canada.
“We saw a lot of interest in the website last year,” Foreman said. “And we’ve taken a lot of suggestions from members of law enforcement, such as crime mapping. Law enforcement can use our system to map where crimes are occurring, which makes the website more useful.”
Todd Foreman and Colin Kelly at the 2024 IACP Conference in Boston, MA.
Foreman has shared information about the industry and scraptheftalert.com throughout his travels, including at the 2024 Massachusetts Association of Crime Analysis and Intelligence Conference in Plymouth, MA, the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators in Orlando, FL, and the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority Conference in Houston, Texas to name just a few.
One of the conventions that stood out to Foreman was the NARUC (National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners) 2024 Annual Meeting and Education Conference. He spoke on a panel about the rise in network theft and vandalism, which refers to the illegal act of stealing or intentionally damaging physical components of a network infrastructure, like cables, wires, and equipment housed in towers or underground vaults.
“The theft of these materials is significant because it’s critical infrastructure,” Foreman said. “When thieves steal wires or cut these cables it causes problems for hospitals and emergency responders when they lose service. The thieves incorrectly think these materials contain copper. By forming relationships with these associations, we can work with the industries to better identify that these wires and cables have no copper, so thieves will be less likely to steal them.”
According to Foreman, he always looks forward to participating at conferences whether it’s speaking on a panel or setting up a booth in an exhibit hall.
“At the end of the day this is all about meeting new people and making connections to better the relationship between the recycled materials industry and law enforcement,” he said.
Todd Foreman, Jerry Sjogren, and Eds Harding at the 2024 IACP Conference in Boston, MA.
Looking forward, Foreman wants to continue building relationships with recyclers so he can connect them with local law enforcement and invite them to member facilities for walk-through visits. He also wants to improve scraptheftalert.com to make it more useful to recyclers and law enforcement.
“I was also recently contacted by the Canadian telecommunications association asking about the website, so I want to work with them to build up their use,” he said. “It’s about getting together with communication companies and power companies that are experiencing theft and get them to use the system. Once they learn about our work, we can form a real partnership among the telecommunication and power companies, law enforcement, and recyclers working together to solve this problem.”
For recyclers who are interested in making connections with local law enforcement but don’t know how to start, Foreman has some recommendations.
“Show your local law enforcement that you care,” he said. “For example, during a holiday you can provide them with a meal. Many officers are working on Thanksgiving or Christmas and don’t get to spend time with their families, so do something to show them so appreciation.”
Recyclers can also get in touch with Foreman to help build the connection with members of local law enforcement. He can be reached at tforeman@recycledmaterials.org.
Cover Photo: Todd Foreman and Zach Mallin at the 2024 FBI National Academy Conference in Kansas.
