Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of theft fees Friday after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the pricy auto elements that play a crucial position in lowering vehicle emissions.

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

“We had been very stunned at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said in a police video taken Thursday as officers had been pulling converters from the jam-packed storage locker.

The 48-year-old man who police say was shopping for and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face additional charges.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile and truck homeowners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who're confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even when they find the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters aren't imprinted at the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the dear metals they include.

Replacing one can cost a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in response to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage trade group that works to combat insurance coverage 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, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this yr 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 cases against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy professional used devices. They need to mark the item with the donor vehicle's serial number and retain it for not less than every week in unique condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 superb for the first offense, a $2,000 positive for a second and no less than double that for each additional time they're caught. Those possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws is also in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new units, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on existing vehicles and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a crucial step in serving to deliver aid to folks straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance often does not cowl a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying just liability protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with comprehensive protection, there is a deductible that may be excessive enough that it's not worth submitting a claim.

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