The Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force has given up on investigating mortgage fraud. "We don't have the staff or funding to address it," said Mike Siitari, Edina police chief and oversight council chairman. "We have hundreds of cases of backlog." [Pioneer Press via Caveat Emptor]
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This is disappointing news. It's gotten so bad up here that there have been several explosions in vacant (foreclosed) houses after people steal the copper pipes out of them. The latest one was just yesterday. [www.startribune.com] This is not just a financial issue but a public health and safety issue that needs to be addressed.
Are we as a populace going to have to start resorting to vigilante justice? I mean if the government won't go after shitbags that break THE LAW, what's the use in keeping them around? Or having laws in the first place. The reason you have outbreaks of vigilantiism is the outright indifference of the government to rampant crime and corruption.
@stpauliegirl:
I don't think the houses blew up because the copper was stolen. Copper tubing does not carry natural gas or propane. All gas and propane lines are plumbed using Black Iron pipe. Some of the Iron might have been stolen, but it's not worth the effort to rip out of the walls really. It may be possible a copper thief broke a gas line in the process of stealing copper. If a house is buttoned up it's entirely possible for gas to reach a concentration neccessary for combustion.
@MrEvil: Hmm, a Google search turns up plenty of instances of copper being used for natural gas. It looks like it depends on local ordinances; some don't allow it. Also, a spokesperson from MPD offered stolen copper pipes as a possible cause this evening: [wcco.com]











If there's that many cases, it sounds like they NEED to address it to get it to stop!