Police in the St. Louis area are joining together in an effort to stop copper thieves.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that representatives from law enforcement, courts, scrap businesses and others met at St. Louis' South Patrol Division on Thursday. The goal was to find ways to deter metal thefts and to bring the thieves to justice.
St. Louis police say metal thieves have stolen more than $4.6 million in copper and other metals in the city since January 2010.
Authorities say items such as downspouts and gutters are being stolen off of homes by thieves who sell them to scrap dealers.