Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft expenses Friday after detectives discovered more 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 important function in lowering automobile emissions.

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

“We have been very shocked on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier stated in a police video taken Thursday as officers had been pulling converters from the jam-packed storage locker.

The 48-year-old man who police say was buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face further prices.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile and truck house owners within the pocketbook and frustrated police, who're confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even when they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters aren't imprinted on the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they are chopped open for the valuable metals they contain.

Replacing one can price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance trade 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 simply 3,969 reports 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 harder for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of situations against the law and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy reputable used devices. They need to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for at least a week in unique condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the primary offense, a $2,000 fantastic for a second and at the very least double that for every extra time they are caught. Those possessing or trying to sell a used catalytic converter that don't 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 Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new units, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on current automobiles and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a important step in serving to convey reduction to individuals immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often doesn't cowl a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying just liability coverage or liability and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with comprehensive coverage, there's a deductible that may be high sufficient that it isn't worth filing a declare.

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