Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple 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 pricy auto components that play a essential function in reducing automobile emissions.

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

“We were very surprised at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier stated 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 buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face additional fees.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automotive and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who are confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even when they discover the stolen components.

Catalytic converters should not imprinted on the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market the place they are chopped open for the precious metals they comprise.

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

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

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 coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many instances a crime and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that purchase reputable used devices. They must mark the merchandise with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for no less than every week in authentic situation.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 effective for the first offense, a $2,000 effective for a second and not less than double that for every further time they are caught. These possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new gadgets, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on present vehicles and vans and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance typically does not cowl a automobile owner's losses. Somebody carrying just liability protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with complete protection, there is a deductible which may be high sufficient that it isn't worth submitting a declare.

“Lastly, some victims even with protection might treat the issue as a mechanical difficulty and simply pay for it themselves and by no means notify their insurer,” insurance crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman stated Friday.