Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft charges Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto components that play a critical position in decreasing 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 Worldwide Airport.

“We have been 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 buying and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face extra costs.

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 are faced with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even when they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters usually are not imprinted on the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market the place they are chopped open for the dear metals they comprise.

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

The insurance coverage group counted simply 3,969 studies 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 laws designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been introduced this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations a crime and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that purchase authentic used devices. They have to mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for at the very least every week in unique condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 high-quality for the primary offense, a $2,000 fantastic for a second and at the very least double that for each further time they are caught. These possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new units, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on present cars and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance coverage usually does not cowl a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying just liability coverage or liability and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with complete protection, there's a deductible that may be high enough that it is not value filing a claim.

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