Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft prices Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the expensive auto elements that play a important role in lowering car emissions.

The discovery followed 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 International Airport.

“We have been very shocked on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier stated 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 buying and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face additional prices.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of car and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who are faced with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to resolve even if they find the stolen components.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted on the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they are chopped open for the valuable metals they include.

Replacing one can cost a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in accordance with the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, an insurance industry group that works to fight insurance fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for each converter.

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

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. According to the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this yr in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many instances against the law and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap sellers that purchase reputable used units. They need to mark the item with the donor car's serial quantity and retain it for at least a week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fantastic for the first offense, a $2,000 tremendous for a second and at the very least double that for every further 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 also be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new devices, offer grants for programs to stamp numbers on existing vehicles and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance coverage often does not cowl a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying simply liability protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there is a deductible which may be excessive enough that it is not value submitting a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with protection may 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 said Friday.