Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through a number of theft fees Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto components that play a crucial role in reducing car emissions.

The discovery followed 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 were very stunned on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 should face additional costs.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile and truck house owners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are confronted with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is tough to solve even when they discover the stolen components.

Catalytic converters should not imprinted at 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 include.

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

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

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this yr 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 lots of instances a crime and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap sellers that buy official used units. They must mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for not less than a week in authentic situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 high-quality for the primary offense, a $2,000 superb for a second and at the very least double that for each further time they're 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 may require serial numbers on new units, provide grants for applications to stamp numbers on current cars and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a vital step in helping deliver relief to folks straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often doesn't cover a automobile owner's losses. Somebody carrying just liability coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible which may be excessive enough that it is not value filing a claim.

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