Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with multiple theft costs Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto components that play a essential role in decreasing vehicle emissions.

The invention 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 Worldwide 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 will face additional costs.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're confronted with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even when they discover the stolen components.

Catalytic converters usually are not 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 include.

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

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

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. According to the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this yr 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 many situations a crime and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy professional used devices. They need to mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for at the least a week in unique condition.

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

Federal legislation can also be within 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 devices, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on current vehicles and vans and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a essential step in helping convey aid to people immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically does not cover a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility coverage or liability and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible which may be excessive sufficient that it is not worth submitting a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with protection may deal with 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 said Friday.