Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing multiple 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 pricy auto components that play a vital role in lowering automobile emissions.

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

“We had been very shocked 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 buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face additional costs.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of car and truck house owners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even when they discover the stolen parts.

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

Changing one can cost 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 coverage group counted just 3,969 stories of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this 12 months 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 against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy authentic used devices. They need to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for at least every week in unique condition.

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

Federal laws can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new devices, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on current cars and trucks and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a essential step in helping carry reduction to folks instantly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically doesn't cover a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying simply liability protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible that could be high enough that it's not value submitting a claim.

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