Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through a number of theft fees Friday after detectives found more 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 important function in reducing car emissions.

The invention followed a months-long investigation that began with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“We have been very shocked on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 may face further costs.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automobile and truck owners in the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're confronted with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to resolve even when they discover the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted at the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the valuable metals they include.

Changing one can price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in line with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage business group that works to combat insurance fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for each converter.

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

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In accordance with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many cases a crime and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that purchase professional used gadgets. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for not less than every week in unique situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 effective for the primary offense, a $2,000 fantastic for a second and at least double that for each further time they're caught. Those possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities might 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 coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new devices, provide grants for programs to stamp numbers on existing automobiles and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a critical step in helping convey reduction to folks directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage usually does not cowl a automobile proprietor's losses. Someone carrying just liability protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible that could be excessive enough that it isn't value submitting a declare.

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