State Police are asking for help as a trend disfiguring properties honoring military veterans makes it way to New York.
The agency said that over the last month or so, military markers and plaques have been stolen — likely because they are made of bronze — a metal worth money.
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Cemeteries across New York State are finding that grave markers, and plaques have been stolen from gravesites.
Most of the markers, designed to show that person served in the military or another service, are made with bronze.
American Legion officials say they are disgusted and sick, and want to see justice.
In talking with people in Oneida County, they are not holding back. They are upset and saying these thefts are disgusting and they want justice.
“It just makes me sick that somebody would benefit from this,” Camden American Legion Commander Paul Seibel said.
Seibel says legions and VFW’s will often provide the families of local veterans with these service markers to place at their gravesites.
“I’m proud of that. I can put that marker in that ground and come visit, and people can come visit and say, ‘Listen, that person right there just fought for our country,’ ” he said.
However, over the last month, he says these markers have been disappearing.
“They can’t get these out of the ground because it is in cement, but what they’ll do, they’ll snap them off on top here,” he said.
Seibel believes thieves have been taking off with smaller plaques, which cost families hundreds of dollars, stolen from the back of headstones. In some cases, he says, people are using crowbars to steal larger, even more expensive plaques off the top of them.
“Why would you do that? Why? What gratitude are you getting from this?” he asked.
Police said that gratitude may be financial. These markers and plaques contain bronze, which sells for about $3 a pound.
“We are taking the necessary investigation steps to interview people, along with scrap yards,” New York State Police Public Information Officer Jennifer Jiron said.
Investigations are happening more across the state as more communities fall victim.
It’s work Seibel hopes leads to arrests.
“I guarantee you, once they get caught, you’re going to probably have 100 people in that courtroom, you know, veterans and family members and everything else, and they’re going to want to see justice,” Seibel added.
Spectrum News 1 learned Friday that funeral homes in Camden will be working with local American Legions and VFW’s to figure out exactly which plaques were stolen and begin the process of replacing them. But again, that does cost money.
Legion officials have shared that some communities are also reporting the theft of plaques belonging to people who performed other services, like firefighter.