Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft costs Friday after detectives discovered greater 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 decreasing car emissions.

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

“We have been very surprised on 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 should face extra charges.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automotive and truck house owners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're faced with a criminal offense that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even when they discover the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted on the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market the place they're chopped open for the valuable metals they include.

Changing one can cost a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in accordance with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance industry 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 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 final 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it tougher 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, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of cases a crime and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that purchase professional used devices. They have to mark the merchandise with the donor car's serial number and retain it for at the least a week in authentic situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 wonderful for the first offense, a $2,000 high-quality for a second and at the least double that for every further time they're caught. These possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can also be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new gadgets, offer grants for packages to stamp numbers on current vehicles and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a vital step in serving to deliver aid to folks instantly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically doesn't cover a car owner's losses. Somebody carrying just legal responsibility coverage or liability and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there is a deductible that may be high sufficient that it's not worth submitting a declare.

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