When it was discovered that thirty-six cast bronze botanical identification plaques had been stolen from North Mississippi Park, Minneapolis police sent out fliers to local scrap metal dealers to be alert for anyone trying to sell the bronze.

Although the plates were already broken apart before they were sold to Scrappy's Recycling Express, employees recognized they had the stolen material and notified the police.

“We never knowingly buy stolen material,” said Mindy Isaacs of Scrappy’s. “If we do buy material that is later determined to be stolen, as happened in this case, we can identify the people who are stealing and selling it to the scrap yards.”

To deter the theft of materials, Scrappy's Recycling Express records the license plate number and driver’s license number of every individual who sells.

Police used that information to trace the identity of the sellers and apprehended three suspects.

Photo source KSTP-TV