Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with multiple theft expenses 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 pricy auto elements that play a vital position in decreasing vehicle emissions.

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

“We had been very surprised on the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said 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 large rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck house owners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're confronted with a criminal offense that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to unravel even when they find the stolen elements.

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

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage business group that works to combat insurance fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for every converter.

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

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. According to the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations a crime and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy legitimate used devices. They must mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for at the very least a week in original condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fine for the first offense, a $2,000 wonderful for a second and no less than double that for each further time they are caught. These possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws is also in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new gadgets, supply grants for applications to stamp numbers on existing automobiles and vans and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a crucial step in helping deliver reduction to people instantly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance often doesn't cowl a automotive proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the full invoice. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible which may be high enough that it is not price filing a declare.

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