Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through a number of theft charges Friday after detectives discovered more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto elements that play a critical function in reducing vehicle emissions.

The invention adopted a months-long investigation that started with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial space near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“We were very surprised at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier stated in a police video taken Thursday as officers had been pulling converters from the jam-packed storage locker.

The 48-year-old man who police say was buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face extra costs.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even when they discover the stolen components.

Catalytic converters aren't imprinted at the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market the place they are chopped open for the valuable metals they comprise.

Replacing one can price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in line with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage industry group that works to fight insurance coverage fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for each converter.

The insurance coverage group counted simply 3,969 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last yr.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken discover, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In accordance with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been introduced this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy legitimate used units. They need to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for at the least per week in original condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 high-quality for the first offense, a $2,000 high quality for a second and at the very least double that for every further time they're caught. These possessing or trying to sell a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that may require serial numbers on new gadgets, offer grants for programs to stamp numbers on current vehicles and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a important step in helping bring relief to people straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage typically doesn't cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Someone carrying simply legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the full invoice. Even with comprehensive coverage, there is a deductible that could be high sufficient that it is not worth filing a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with coverage could deal with the problem as a mechanical concern and just pay for it themselves and never notify their insurer,” insurance coverage crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman mentioned Friday.