Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of theft costs 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 elements that play a important function in lowering car emissions.

The invention followed a months-long investigation that started with a January tip that somebody was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial space near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“We were very shocked on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier stated in a police video taken Thursday as officers have 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 costs.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile 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 tough to resolve even if they find the stolen components.

Catalytic converters should not 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 cost a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in accordance with the Nationwide 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 coverage group counted just 3,969 experiences of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 last yr.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In response to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this year 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 many situations a crime and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy reliable used devices. They must mark the merchandise with the donor car's serial quantity and retain it for at least a week in original condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fantastic for the first offense, a $2,000 positive for a second and a minimum of double that for every further time they're caught. Those possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that don't meet new requirements might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new devices, offer grants for applications to stamp numbers on present cars and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a crucial step in serving to carry reduction to people instantly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage typically does not cover a automotive proprietor's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there is a deductible which may be excessive sufficient that it isn't price filing a claim.

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