Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft costs Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto parts that play a essential role in reducing car 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 Worldwide Airport.

“We have been very stunned on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face additional charges.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're confronted with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is tough to unravel even if they discover the stolen components.

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

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

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

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the National 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 bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of cases a crime and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that purchase authentic used gadgets. They must mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for at least per week in original situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 wonderful for the first offense, a $2,000 fantastic for a second and at least 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 might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws 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 gadgets, offer grants for programs to stamp numbers on current vehicles and trucks 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 bring reduction to folks straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage typically does not cowl a automotive proprietor's losses. Someone carrying simply liability protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with complete coverage, there is a deductible which may be excessive sufficient that it is not worth submitting a declare.

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