Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of 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 important position in lowering vehicle emissions.

The invention adopted a months-long investigation that started 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 stunned on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said 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 shopping for and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face further prices.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of car and truck house owners in the pocketbook and annoyed police, who are faced with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even when they find the stolen elements.

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

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

The insurance group counted just 3,969 reviews 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 more durable for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of instances against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy professional used devices. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for at the very least every week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the primary offense, a $2,000 wonderful for a second and a minimum of double that for each further time they are caught. These possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation is also in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new devices, provide grants for applications to stamp numbers on present vehicles and vehicles and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a crucial step in helping convey aid to folks immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage typically does not cowl a car proprietor's losses. Someone carrying simply liability coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there is a deductible that could be excessive enough that it isn't value submitting a declare.

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