Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through a number of theft charges Friday after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a crucial position in reducing automobile emissions.

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

“We had been very stunned at the amount 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 further fees.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck house owners within the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are confronted with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even if they find the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters aren't imprinted at the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market the place they're chopped open for the dear metals they contain.

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

The insurance coverage group counted simply 3,969 stories 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 legislation designed to make it more durable 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 lots of instances a crime and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that purchase legit used devices. They have to mark the merchandise with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for a minimum of a week in unique situation.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 effective for the first offense, a $2,000 positive for a second and not less than double that for each extra time they are caught. These possessing or trying to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation is also in 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 programs to stamp numbers on existing cars and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a crucial step in helping bring aid to folks straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage usually doesn't cowl a car owner's losses. Somebody carrying just legal responsibility 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's not price submitting a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with coverage could treat the problem as a mechanical concern and just pay for it themselves and by no means notify their insurer,” insurance coverage crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman said Friday.