Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through a number of theft charges Friday after detectives discovered more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a crucial function in lowering vehicle emissions.

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

“We were very stunned on the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said 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 buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face further costs.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile and truck homeowners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are confronted with a criminal offense that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to unravel even if they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters should not imprinted on the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market where they are chopped open for the precious metals they contain.

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

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

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been introduced this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of situations a crime and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy professional used devices. They need to mark the item with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for at the very least every week in original condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fantastic for the first offense, a $2,000 advantageous for a second and at the least double that for each additional time they are caught. These possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new units, provide grants for applications to stamp numbers on current cars and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

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

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

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