Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft charges Friday after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the expensive auto parts that play a crucial function in decreasing automobile 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 close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“We had been very stunned at the amount 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 additional costs.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're faced with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is difficult to solve even when they find the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters should not imprinted at the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market the place they're chopped open for the valuable metals they comprise.

Changing one can price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, according to the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance industry group that works to combat insurance coverage fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for every converter.

The insurance coverage group counted just 3,969 experiences 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 discover, introducing legislation designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been introduced this year 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 against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that purchase reputable used devices. They need to mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for at the very least per week in original situation.

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

Federal legislation is also within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new devices, provide grants for packages to stamp numbers on existing vehicles and vehicles and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance typically doesn't cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with complete protection, there's a deductible that may be high enough that it's not value filing a claim.

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