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 right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the expensive auto parts that play a critical role in reducing car emissions.

The invention 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 International Airport.

“We have been very shocked at the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said 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 will face additional prices.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of automobile and truck homeowners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are faced with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even when they find the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted at the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market where they are chopped open for the valuable metals they include.

Replacing one can price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, according to the National Insurance 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 coverage group counted simply 3,969 reports of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 last year.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. According to the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many instances a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy reliable used units. They have to mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for a minimum of every week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 nice for the primary offense, a $2,000 high-quality for a second and at least double that for every extra time they're caught. Those possessing or trying to sell a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can also be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new devices, offer grants for packages 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 referred to as it a essential step in helping deliver relief to people directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often does not cover a car proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying simply liability protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there's a deductible which may be excessive sufficient that it is not value filing a claim.

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