Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of theft expenses Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto parts that play a vital position in decreasing automobile emissions.

The invention adopted a months-long investigation that began with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial space near Phoenix Sky Harbor Worldwide Airport.

“We had been very stunned at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face extra prices.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile and truck owners within the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are faced with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even when they find the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters are 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 precious metals they comprise.

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

The insurance group counted just 3,969 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 last yr.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that purchase professional used units. They must mark the merchandise with the donor car's serial number and retain it for no less than a week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fantastic for the primary offense, a $2,000 wonderful for a second and at the least double that for every additional time they are caught. Those possessing or trying to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation is also within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new units, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on current cars and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance coverage typically does not cowl a automobile owner's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible that could be high sufficient that it isn't price filing a claim.

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