Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of theft costs Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto elements that play a crucial role in decreasing car emissions.

The invention followed 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 International Airport.

“We have been very stunned at the amount 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 buying and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face extra expenses.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck house owners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is difficult to resolve even when they find the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters are not 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 contain.

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

The insurance group counted simply 3,969 experiences of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 final 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken discover, 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 year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many instances against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that purchase legit used units. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor car's serial quantity and retain it for at the least a week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 wonderful for the first offense, a $2,000 fine for a second and at the very least double that for every further time they're caught. Those possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be within 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 programs to stamp numbers on current automobiles and vehicles and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a crucial step in serving to carry reduction to people straight impacted by the thefts.

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

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