Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing multiple theft costs Friday after detectives discovered more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto components that play a essential function in lowering automobile 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 near Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport.

“We had been very surprised at 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face extra costs.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're faced with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is tough to resolve even if they discover the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters are not imprinted at the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the precious metals they comprise.

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the Nationwide Insurance coverage 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 group counted just 3,969 reviews 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 legislation designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this yr 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 many instances a crime and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy official used units. They have to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for no less than a week in authentic situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 wonderful for the primary offense, a $2,000 effective for a second and no less than double that for every extra time they're caught. These possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can also be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new gadgets, supply 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 known as it a essential step in helping carry aid to people instantly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage usually doesn't cover a automotive proprietor's losses. Someone carrying simply liability coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible which may be excessive sufficient that it's not price filing a declare.

“Lastly, some victims even with coverage could deal with the issue as a mechanical challenge and simply pay for it themselves and by no means notify their insurer,” insurance crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman mentioned Friday.