11 Ways Cemeteries Are Keeping Criminals From Stealing Vases for Scrap Metal

Last week, authorities in Council Bluffs, Iowa arrested four members of an eight-person theft ring accused of stealing more than 1,000 bronze vases from gravesites in the Omaha, Nebraska metro area. The arrest stemmed from a tip from someone reporting a “vehicle full of metal vases” at a scrap metal recycling center. Authorities recovered around 800 of the stolen vases, which are valued at up to $600 each.

This particular incident resulted in the return of the majority of the stolen items, but most cemeteries aren’t so lucky. Over the last year alone, thousands of U.S. vase thefts have been reported by the media, but the true number of incidents that occur in private, public, rural, and urban cemeteries cannot be measured. Even without an exact number, the deathcare community must recognize that cemetery thefts are a growing epidemic. While there’s no foolproof way to keep the lowest of the low from stealing from the dead and grieving, here are 11 possible solutions for deterring theft and potentially recovering stolen vases before they can be converted to cash:

Physical security

We know — adding tall or electrified fences, security lights, locking gates, cameras, or even human security guards can get pricey, but it’s the most often-recommended theft deterrent recommended by authorities. They’re also a good way to reassure families that you’re taking the security of their loved ones’ resting places seriously, and at least trying your best to prevent theft.

Polyurethane vases

Bronze is a beautiful and durable material for both markers and vases, but it’s also a magnet for metal-seeking thieves. What if there was a vase made of an alternative material that was just as lovely and durable as bronze, still complemented the marker, and was of absolutely no interest to criminals? Granger Industries offers ForeverSafe polyethylene vases that meet all of these criteria. These models are molded to look exactly like the metal and stone versions and are built to last with 100% American-made materials.

AirTags

In 2023, a Texas family took matters into their own hands after replacing a loved one’s stolen vase multiple times. They attached an Apple AirTag tracking device to the vase, and when it was once again pilfered, they provided the login information to local authorities. Using the account’s GPS data, police located not only that family’s stolen item, but also three of four suspects and more than $62,000 worth of vases stolen over the previous few months. Of course, at about $25 each, adding AirTags to every vase in a cemetery could be quite costly, but attaching even a lower-priced tracking device, like this $12 version, to random vases could be a sensible solution.

Zinc vases

Although they look a little different than traditional bronze vases, zinc versions like this one from American Funeral Supply are a lovely option for theft-prone cemeteries. Materials like zinc or galvanized metals are less attractive to thieves hoping to cash in on stolen metals. 

Engraving

A California family whose loved one’s bronze vase was stolen from a cemetery in 2015 decided to have the deceased name engraved on the replacement. This option could provide some peace of mind, but as the local news reporter to whom they reported the theft found out, this might not deter theft or dishonest scrap metal dealers. The reporter actually went undercover and tried to sell a $1600 bronze vase to several scrap metal shops; although most told him it was unlawful to accept these, at least one offered him $8 for the vase.

Chains

Last November, metal vases valued at about $1,000 each began disappearing from gravesites in a gated San Diego cemetery. Again, families came up with their own theft-deterring options; in this case, they used chains to secure vases to monuments. Chains aren’t necessarily a novel idea, as many vases have been equipped with a thin and easily-snapped chain to tether it to the base for decades. However, thicker chains, perhaps attached by bolts secured in cement (as shown in these tips for securing outdoor metal sculptures) might prove a little more difficult to break. Although frustrated families may opt for a less-discreet option like wrapping a chain around the vase and securing it to an anchor point on the monument, that’s probably not a practical solution for most properties.

Microdots

Similar to AirTags and engraving, microdots won’t help to keep a vase from being stolen, but they could help law enforcement track them down afterwards. Microdots are tiny discs that are nearly invisible to the naked eye at less than one millimeter in diameter. Each dot is marked with a unique PIN code that is stored in a secured database to link property to its owner; this information can be read by a magnifier.  Microdots can be sprayed on the entire surface of larger items such as vehicles or bicycles, brushed onto guns or electronics, or applied with a microdot marker. Manufacturers such as Theftmark.com offers microdot kits for less than $10 that could be applied to a large number of vases. This company also advises placing notices that items are marked with microdot technology to deter would-be thieves.

Adhesives and epoxies

The design concept of most vase-equipped markers allows a family to choose whether they want to use the vase or hide it within the monument. But for those who elect to keep a vase upright perpetually, it’s possible to secure it to the base with an industrial-strength, heavy-duty epoxy or adhesive, as Legacy Headstones describes here. As with the chain solution above, a very determined thief with proper tools might find a way to bypass this security measure, but after spending a few minutes tugging on a few of these secured vases with no success, they might just give up and go elsewhere.

Drones

The BBC reports that a police force in Wales has begun using “thermal imaging cameras attached to drones and binoculars capable of picking out suspected treasure thieves.” In this case, authorities are using the technology to keep so-called “nighthawkers” from metal-detecting and digging up ancient archaeologically-significant artifacts that are thought to be hidden on the historic grounds, but it could definitely work for vase-hawkers, too. Thermal drones specifically equipped for law enforcement and firefighting agencies can be quite an investment, but several highly-rated amateur versions are available for $300 to $9,000.

Legislation

Sure, this solution might be a longshot, depending on how diligent one might be in garnering the attention of lawmakers and the level of interest by law enforcement, but it is possible to add or amend state or local laws to penalize scrap metal dealers who knowingly accept and pay for certain types of metals. In 2013, Utah’s state legislature approved a bill that increased penalties for taking in probably-stolen “regulated metals,” including street signs, manhole covers, and “grave site monument vases and monument plaques.” Most states have similar laws, including Missouri, which adds that “scrap metal dealers need a statement on cemetery letterhead to accept a gravesite vase for salvage.”

Rewards

There wouldn’t have to be laws like the one in Utah if every scrap metal dealer was 100% honest and always diligent about what types of metals they accept and from whom. Personally visiting your area’s scrap metal dealers to remind them of existing regulations and penalties — or even offering a “finder’s fee” for turning in vase thieves — might make at least a small impact.

Obviously, some of these options might be too expensive, time-consuming, or complicated to try, or a company’s internal regulations might prevent their implementation. However, perhaps these ideas might inspire your own creative solutions.