Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing multiple theft costs Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto components that play a important role in lowering automobile emissions.

The discovery adopted a months-long investigation that started with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area close to Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport.

“We had been very shocked 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 promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face extra prices.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck house owners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who're confronted with against the law that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even if they find the stolen components.

Catalytic converters usually are not imprinted at the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the dear metals they contain.

Replacing one can value 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 fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for every converter.

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

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this yr in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that purchase reliable used units. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for at least a week in authentic condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 superb for the primary offense, a $2,000 fantastic for a second and no less than double that for each further time they are caught. Those possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation is also 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 units, provide grants for programs to stamp numbers on present vehicles and vehicles and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance often does not cover a car owner's losses. Somebody carrying just liability protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with complete protection, there's a deductible which may be high sufficient that it's not worth submitting a declare.

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