Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of 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 components that play a essential function in reducing automobile emissions.

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

“We have been very shocked on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said 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 promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face additional expenses.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of 1000's of automobile and truck house owners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are confronted with against the law that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to solve even when they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted at the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the dear metals they comprise.

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

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

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. In response to the National Insurance coverage 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 cases a crime and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap sellers that purchase respectable used devices. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for no less than per week in original situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 nice for the primary offense, a $2,000 advantageous for a second and a minimum of double that for each further time they are caught. Those possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws is also in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new gadgets, provide grants for programs to stamp numbers on present vehicles and vehicles and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a essential step in serving to convey aid to people directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance usually doesn't cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible that could be excessive enough that it's not value submitting a claim.

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