Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of theft prices 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 pricy auto components that play a important role in reducing vehicle emissions.

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

“We had 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face additional costs.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automobile and truck owners within the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're faced with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to solve even if they discover the stolen elements.

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

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the National 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 every 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 yr.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this 12 months 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 cases a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy professional used devices. They have to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for no less than per week in original situation.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 high-quality for the first offense, a $2,000 positive for a second and no less than double that for each additional time they are caught. Those possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can also be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new gadgets, provide grants for packages to stamp numbers on present cars and vehicles and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance often doesn't cover a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there is a deductible which may be excessive enough that it is not worth submitting a declare.

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