Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of theft costs Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto parts that play a important function in decreasing automobile emissions.

The discovery adopted a months-long investigation that began with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial space close to Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport.

“We had been very shocked at 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face further fees.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automobile and truck house owners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are faced with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to resolve even when they discover the stolen elements.

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 dear metals they comprise.

Replacing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, according to the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage business 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 simply 3,969 experiences of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this year 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 situations a crime and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy reliable used gadgets. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor car's serial quantity and retain it for at the very least every week in unique condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the primary offense, a $2,000 positive for a second and at least double that for every additional time they are caught. Those possessing or trying to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities 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 Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new gadgets, provide grants for packages to stamp numbers on present cars and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a critical step in helping deliver reduction to people directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage typically doesn't cover a car owner's losses. Somebody carrying just liability coverage or liability and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible that could be excessive sufficient that it isn't worth filing a declare.

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