Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft fees Friday after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto components that play a essential position in lowering vehicle emissions.

The discovery followed 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 have been very surprised on 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 buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face additional costs.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and frustrated police, who're faced with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to solve even if they find the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters are not imprinted at the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market the place they're chopped open for the precious metals they include.

Changing one can price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in line with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance trade 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 experiences of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 final 12 months.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing legislation designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this yr in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of cases a criminal offense and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy official used devices. They have to mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for no less than every week in unique situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fine for the primary offense, a $2,000 fantastic for a second and at the very least double that for every extra time they're caught. These possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be 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 current automobiles and trucks and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a important step in serving to carry relief to folks straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage typically doesn't cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying just legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the full invoice. Even with complete protection, there's a deductible that could be excessive sufficient that it isn't price filing a claim.

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