Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with multiple theft expenses Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto parts that play a crucial function in decreasing vehicle emissions.

The invention followed a months-long investigation that started with a January tip that somebody was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

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

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck owners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're faced with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even when they find the stolen components.

Catalytic converters usually are not imprinted at the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they are chopped open for the precious metals they comprise.

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

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

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

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations against the law and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that purchase authentic used units. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for at the least a week in authentic situation.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the first offense, a $2,000 effective for a second and at least double that for each additional time they are caught. These possessing or making an attempt to sell a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that may require serial numbers on new devices, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on present cars and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a important step in helping convey aid to folks directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically does not cowl a automotive proprietor's losses. Someone carrying just liability coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with comprehensive protection, there is a deductible that could be high sufficient that it is not value submitting a claim.

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