Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with multiple theft costs Friday after detectives discovered 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 vital function in reducing vehicle emissions.

The invention followed a months-long investigation that started with a January tip that someone was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial area close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“We were very stunned at the amount 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 may face additional costs.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of car and truck owners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are faced with against the law that takes just minutes to commit and is tough to resolve even if they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters should 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 dear metals they include.

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

The insurance coverage group counted just 3,969 reports of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 final yr.

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

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of instances a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy legitimate used units. They must mark the merchandise with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for at the least a week in original condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 advantageous for the primary offense, a $2,000 positive for a second and at the very least double that for each additional time they're caught. These possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new devices, offer grants for applications to stamp numbers on current vehicles and trucks and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a essential step in helping deliver aid to people straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage usually doesn't cowl a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with complete protection, there is a deductible which may be high enough that it isn't price filing a claim.

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