Metal-theft measure divisive

The Clarion-Ledger, 6/10/8

A new law aimed at reducing metal theft takes effect in two months, but there’s no consensus on whether it will work.

Republican Gov. Haley Barbour signed Senate Bill 2006 into law Monday. His press secretary, Pete Smith, recently described it as “an improvement over the one he vetoed.”

Metal recyclers disagree, and some said it may force them to shut down. Law enforcement officials said the legislation could be better but remained hopeful it will help solve a problem that is growing in Mississippi and other states.

“Is it gonna stop metal theft? No,” House Judiciary B Committee Chairman Willie Bailey, D-Greenville, said. “But it will slow it down tremendously.”