Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing 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 parts that play a critical position in reducing automobile emissions.

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

“We have been very surprised on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face extra prices.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automotive and truck house owners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're confronted with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to solve even if they discover the stolen components.

Catalytic converters usually are not imprinted on the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market where they're chopped open for the valuable metals they contain.

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the National 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, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last yr.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken discover, introducing legislation designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this yr in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of instances a crime and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy reliable used devices. They must mark the item with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for at the least per week in authentic situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 positive for the primary offense, a $2,000 nice for a second and no less than double that for every further time they're caught. These possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new requirements may face a six-month jail sentence.

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

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a vital step in serving to carry aid to folks straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically doesn't cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with comprehensive coverage, there's a deductible that may be high sufficient that it's not value filing a declare.

“Lastly, some victims even with protection may deal with the problem as a mechanical subject and simply pay for it themselves and never notify their insurer,” insurance crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman mentioned Friday.