Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through multiple theft expenses 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 pricy auto elements that play a vital position in decreasing automobile emissions.

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

“We had been very surprised on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 buying and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face extra fees.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck owners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who're confronted with against the law that takes simply minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even when they find the stolen components.

Catalytic converters should not imprinted at the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market the place they're chopped open for the valuable metals they contain.

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

The insurance group counted just 3,969 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the National Insurance coverage 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 invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many instances a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap sellers that buy professional used devices. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial number and retain it for no less than every week in original 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 least double that for every extra time they're caught. These possessing or making an attempt to sell a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities might 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 Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new units, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on existing automobiles and vans and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a essential step in serving to carry reduction to individuals immediately impacted by the thefts.

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

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