Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with multiple theft charges Friday after detectives found greater 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 essential position in lowering car emissions.

The discovery 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 were very surprised at the quantity 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 may face additional charges.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck house owners within the pocketbook and frustrated police, who're confronted with a criminal offense that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even if they find the stolen components.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted at the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they are chopped open for the dear metals they contain.

Replacing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance 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 greater than 52,000 final yr.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. According to the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of instances a crime and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy reliable used gadgets. They need to mark the item with the donor vehicle's serial number and retain it for not less than every week in authentic situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 superb for the primary offense, a $2,000 tremendous for a second and not less than double that for every additional time they're caught. These possessing or trying to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities 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 Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new gadgets, provide grants for applications to stamp numbers on current vehicles and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a vital step in helping convey reduction to individuals immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically doesn't cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying simply liability protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the full invoice. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible that could be high enough that it is not worth submitting a declare.

“Lastly, some victims even with coverage might treat the problem as a mechanical situation and just pay for it themselves and by no means notify their insurer,” insurance crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman mentioned Friday.