Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft costs Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto parts that play a important position in lowering vehicle emissions.

The invention followed a months-long investigation that began with a January tip that somebody was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“We had been very stunned on the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 will face extra fees.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck homeowners in the pocketbook and annoyed police, who are faced with a criminal offense that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to solve even when they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters are usually not imprinted on the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market the place they are chopped open for the valuable metals they contain.

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in line with the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, an insurance trade group that works to combat 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 reports of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of instances a criminal offense and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy legit used devices. They have to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for at the least every week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 advantageous for the first offense, a $2,000 fine for a second and at the very least double that for each further time they are caught. Those possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new gadgets, offer grants for packages to stamp numbers on existing cars and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a vital step in serving to deliver reduction to folks straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance usually does not cover a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there is a deductible which may be high sufficient that it's not value submitting a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with protection might treat the problem as a mechanical challenge and simply pay for it themselves and by no means notify their insurer,” insurance coverage crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman stated Friday.