Report it to the Mississippi Delta Ag Theft Task Force!
A number of area producers and building owners are reporting copper theft directly related to tractors, ATVs, trailers, irrigation wells and other items targeted for scrap metal and wiring.
If you experience any loss or see any suspicious activity, the Delta Ag Theft Task Force suggests you follow these steps:
1 – Call your local county sheriff’s office to investigate where the crime occurred and determine an estimated timeframe.
2 – Get the deputy’s name and badge number.
3 – Ask for a report number.
4 – Call and/or email the Mississippi Delta Ag Theft Task Force with all the details including the report numbers and/or the officer’s badge number and name.
Larry Nesbit has recently been named the newest investigator assigned to the Delta Ag Theft Task Force. Please direct any thefts or suspicious activity to his attention by calling him at 601-359-9055.
If you are a victim of copper theft, or any other agricultural theft, Delta Council urges you to contact the Task Force at ag_taskforce@sos.ms.gov, or 601-359-9055.
All reports, including law enforcement reports, go directly to the task force, and alerts are sent out to all enforcement, scrap dealers and participants in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee through the collaborative effort.
The Delta Ag Theft Task Force, established in December 2015, is a collaboration between law enforcement and metal recyclers in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee that uses a common database to keep track of every piece of scrap metal sold.
To combat metal theft crimes, the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office provides law enforcement free unlimited access to the LeadsOnline Metal Theft Investigations System.
More than 480 businesses in Mississippi and 30,000 businesses nationwide report transactions electronically via LeadsOnline. The early-alert email system is a proactive approach for the task force to be able to detect, develop leads, successfully prosecute and hopefully deter and reduce agricultural theft in the Delta farming community.