Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft fees Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto components that play a vital function in reducing vehicle emissions.

The invention adopted a months-long investigation that started with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area near Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide 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 were 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 additional fees.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who are confronted with against the law that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even if they discover the stolen components.

Catalytic converters are usually not imprinted on the manufacturing unit 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 line with the Nationwide Insurance coverage 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 group counted simply 3,969 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 final year.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. According to the National 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 lots of situations a crime and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that purchase legitimate used gadgets. They have to mark the item with the donor car's serial quantity and retain it for a minimum of a week in original condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 wonderful for the first offense, a $2,000 advantageous for a second and at the least double that for every additional time they are caught. Those possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new units, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on current automobiles and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a critical step in serving to deliver relief to individuals immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance usually doesn't cowl a car proprietor's losses. Someone carrying just liability coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible that could be excessive sufficient that it is not value filing a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with protection could deal with the problem as a mechanical difficulty and simply pay for it themselves and never notify their insurer,” insurance coverage crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman stated Friday.