Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft charges Friday after detectives discovered more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the expensive auto components that play a essential position in lowering automobile emissions.

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

“We had been very shocked 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 buying and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face extra expenses.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of car and truck owners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are faced with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even if they discover the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted on the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the dear metals they contain.

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in line with the Nationwide Insurance coverage 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 just 3,969 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout 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 bills have been launched this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations a crime and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy legit used units. They must mark the item with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for at the least per week in original condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 advantageous for the first offense, a $2,000 positive for a second and at least double that for every extra time they're caught. These possessing or making an attempt to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

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

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

Insurance coverage usually does not cover a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying just legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with complete protection, there's a deductible which may be excessive enough that it isn't worth submitting a claim.

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