Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing multiple theft charges Friday after detectives discovered greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the expensive auto elements that play a critical function in decreasing automobile emissions.

The invention 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 shocked at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned in a police video taken Thursday as officers have 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 should face further fees.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck house owners in the pocketbook and annoyed police, who are confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to resolve even when they discover the stolen components.

Catalytic converters are usually not imprinted at the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market the place they're chopped open for the valuable metals they comprise.

Replacing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in response to 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 every converter.

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

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing legislation designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of situations a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that purchase official used devices. They have to mark the merchandise with the donor car's serial number and retain it for not less than per week in unique situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 positive for the first offense, a $2,000 superb for a second and not less than double that for each further time they are caught. Those possessing or making an attempt to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new units, provide grants for packages to stamp numbers on existing automobiles and vans and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a important step in serving to carry aid to people instantly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance often doesn't cowl a automotive proprietor's losses. Someone carrying simply liability coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible that may be high enough that it is not price filing a claim.

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