Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft prices 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 expensive auto components that play a essential position in reducing car emissions.

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

“We were very stunned on 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 extra costs.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of 1000's of automotive and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're confronted with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to solve 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 the place they are chopped open for the dear metals they include.

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, based on the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance industry group that works to combat insurance coverage fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for each converter.

The insurance group counted just 3,969 reports of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater 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. In accordance with the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of instances a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy legit used devices. They have to mark the item with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for at the very least every week in original situation.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fantastic for the first offense, a $2,000 high-quality for a second and a minimum of double that for every further time they're caught. Those possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements might face a six-month jail sentence.

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

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a vital step in serving to convey reduction to people instantly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage usually doesn't cover a car proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying just legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the full invoice. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible that may be excessive enough that it's not price filing a claim.

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