Daring thieves are spurring a spike in metal thefts throughout Dallas, and the City Council has decided to fight back by putting more teeth in the city's ordinance that regulates metal recycling plants.

With 18 such facilities in the city, many of them in South Dallas and Oak Cliff, city officials are working with the Dallas Police Department and recycling plant owners on proposals to help reduce the thefts.

Dallas police have recorded more than 1,500 cases of metal theft so far this year, far outpacing the 1,022 thefts reported all of last year and nearly double the 787 in 2003.

"I am very happy that we are moving this issue forward," said council member Elba Garcia. "This is an issue that is affecting not only the city of Dallas but the whole metroplex."

Dr. Garcia said she has been especially pleased that owners of recycling plants are helping draft proposed changes to the ordinance.

"The recyclers know there is a problem, and they are giving us the recommendations to hopefully end this problem as fast as possible," she said.

Council member Steve Salazar, who is chairman of the council's public safety committee, said he hopes that a proposed ordinance could be presented to the full council by early October.

Dallas Deputy Police Chief Brian Harvey said Dallas' current metals ordinance was enacted 10 years ago.

It requires recyclers to keep records, request a state-issued identification card, such as a driver's license, from sellers, as well as tag and hold property for 72 hours.

It also requires metal recyclers to be licensed by the city.

And it restricts the sale of certain items such as manhole covers, light poles and guard rails.

The proposed ordinance takes aim at metals that detectives have noticed are gaining popularity with thieves, such as air conditioning condenser coils and propane tanks used to fuel forklifts. As a result, the city hopes to add them to restricted items.

Restricting the sale of such items doesn't mean they can't be sold, just that the person must be authorized to sell them with a letter from a manufacturer or a licensed repair firm.

In addition, the proposals would prevent recyclers from buying metal from a person who is intoxicated, or is under 18 years of age without parental consent. The seller of metals also would be required to put a thumbprint on the record of purchase.

"We're not trying to prevent the sale of metal by people who have a legitimate reason. What we're after are individuals who have no apparent reason to be selling something like 100 pounds of metal," Chief Harvey said.

Earlier this year, thieves cut phone cables for copper wire in Oak Cliff, stole stop signs in South Dallas and made off with aluminum bleachers from a West Dallas park.

Much of the rise in metal thefts can be attributed to an increase in copper ripoffs. The price of copper hit an all-time high in May, reaching $4.04 per pound. It closed at a more modest $3.40 per pound on Friday.

The Dallas Police Department has assigned four detectives to investigate metal thefts. They visit recycling yards every three days, looking for stolen material. Since the unit was formed more than 10 years ago, it has recovered more than $3.2 million in stolen property.

"We're always trying to be innovative, looking to find ways to fight this type of crime," Chief Harvey said. "We directed our detectives to look at what else could be done to help."

Louis Okon, president of Okon Metals in South Dallas, said he and other recyclers are cooperating with police and city officials because it's the right thing to do.

"It's in our best interest to put a stop to it as well," Mr. Okon said, adding that an overwhelming majority of recyclers provide a useful service to communities and businesses.

"Unfortunately, there are a few bad apples that scar the reputation of the industry and shift the spotlight from the great benefits the metal recycling industry provides," Mr. Okon said.

He added that many recycling businesses, including his own, are already restricting the sale of many of the items being proposed in the amended ordinance.

But Mr. Okon added that even as Dallas moves to clamp down even more on illegal scrap metal sales, thieves could go to other nearby municipalities because not all cities have regulations and some are stricter than others.

In Fort Worth, concern about the rising problem of metal thefts prompted the City Council this summer to enact an ordinance regulating the sale of scrap metal that is similar to the one Dallas currently has. It became effective Sept. 1.

Matthew Wallis, an assistant city attorney in Fort Worth, said his city used the current Dallas ordinance as a model but added its own provisions that make it one of the strongest in the state.

The Fort Worth ordinance includes a lengthy list of restricted items that can only be sold with proof of ownership. It also requires that all transactions be videotaped, to include clear views of the items and the seller.

Mr. Okon, the Dallas recycler, said he believes more uniformity among cities would help reduce metal thefts.

"If the same requirements that the city [Dallas] imposes on the licensed recycling facilities was implemented nationally or even statewide, the amount of thefts would have a much greater chance of being limited," Mr. Okon said.