Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft prices 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 elements that play a essential function in reducing automobile emissions.

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

“We had been very stunned on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned in a police video taken Thursday as officers were pulling converters from the jam-packed storage locker.

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

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automobile and truck house owners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even when they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters are not imprinted at the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they are chopped open for the valuable metals they comprise.

Changing one can cost a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in accordance with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage trade group that works to fight insurance fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for each converter.

The insurance group counted just 3,969 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 final 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In accordance with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this yr 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 lots of instances against the law and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy reliable used gadgets. They have to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for at the very least every week in original condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fine for the first offense, a $2,000 superb for a second and at the least double that for each extra time they're caught. These possessing or making an attempt to sell a used catalytic converter that do not 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 Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new devices, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on existing automobiles and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a essential step in serving to carry aid to people directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage usually doesn't cover a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with complete coverage, there is a deductible which may be excessive enough that it is not worth submitting a declare.

“Lastly, some victims even with coverage could deal with the problem as a mechanical problem and just pay for it themselves and by no means notify their insurer,” insurance crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman mentioned Friday.