Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft fees Friday after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto components that play a crucial role in reducing automobile emissions.

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

“We have been very stunned on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face extra fees.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automobile and truck owners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are faced with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is tough to unravel even when they find the stolen elements.

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

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 coverage fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for every converter.

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

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

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many cases against the law and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy reliable used devices. They have to mark the item with the donor car's serial quantity and retain it for at the least per week in unique situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 positive for the primary offense, a $2,000 wonderful for a second and a minimum of double that for every further time they are caught. These possessing or trying to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new gadgets, offer grants for applications to stamp numbers on current cars and trucks and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a critical step in helping convey aid to individuals straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance usually does not cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the full invoice. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible that could be high enough that it is not price submitting a declare.

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