Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft costs Friday after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the pricy auto components that play a important position in reducing car 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 near Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport.

“We had been very surprised on the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face further prices.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of automobile and truck house owners in the pocketbook and annoyed police, who are faced with against the law that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even if they find the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters are usually not imprinted on the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market where they're chopped open for the valuable metals they comprise.

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

The insurance group counted simply 3,969 reviews of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that purchase respectable used units. They have to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for at the least per week in original condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fine for the primary offense, a $2,000 superb for a second and a minimum of double that for every additional time they are caught. These possessing or making an attempt to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation is also in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new units, provide grants for programs to stamp numbers on current automobiles and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance coverage usually does not cowl a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with complete protection, there is a deductible that may be excessive sufficient that it is not worth submitting a declare.

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