Police Target Scrappers In Surprise Sweep 1.26.11

WRTV

INDIANAPOLIS -- Some scrappers were surprised Tuesday with spot checks for permits needed to haul and sell metal in the city.

Officials with the Department of Code Enforcement cited more than a dozen people without a current refuse hauling license, 6News' Myrt Price reported.

"If you're taking something from your home you don't need a license, but if you're engaged in the business of selling scrap, you're going to need a license from the city to do that," said agency spokesman Adam Collins.

Scrapper Jeremy Crawford said he didn't know he needed any documentation.

"I didn't know it was for that, a refuse haulers license, because I've never had one," he said. "Man, there's no work, so this is what we do."

During the sweep, police said they also arrested five people with outstanding warrants and cited several others for driving with suspended licenses.

"It basically means they don't have insurance, and if they have something attached to the top of the vehicle or hanging out of the trunk, the odds of not only someone getting hurt, but that the person themselves is not going to be responsible for it, is pretty great," Collins said.

Scrappers cited during Tuesday's sweep can avoid going to court by getting the proper permits before their court date. If not, they face a $200 fine.

The haulers license costs about $250.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/26614495/detail.html