Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing a number of theft fees Friday after detectives found greater 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 important role in lowering vehicle emissions.

The discovery followed a months-long investigation that started 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 on the quantity 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 buying and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face extra fees.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck owners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who're confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to resolve even when they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters should not imprinted at the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market where they're chopped open for the valuable metals they comprise.

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

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

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 Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been introduced 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 lots of situations a crime and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy legitimate used gadgets. They need to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for at the very least per week in original situation.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 high-quality for the primary offense, a $2,000 fantastic for a second and at the least double that for every further time they're caught. Those possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities might 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 Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new units, offer grants for applications to stamp numbers on current vehicles and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

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

Insurance coverage often doesn't cowl a car owner's losses. Someone carrying simply liability protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the full invoice. Even with comprehensive coverage, there's a deductible that may be high sufficient that it is not value filing a declare.

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