Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through a number of theft prices 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 elements that play a vital position in reducing vehicle 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 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 buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face additional fees.

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

Catalytic converters should not imprinted on the factory with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the dear metals they include.

Replacing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, based on the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance 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 simply 3,969 reports 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 discover, introducing laws designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. According to the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this yr 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 crime and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that purchase authentic used units. They must mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for no less than per week in unique condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 positive for the first offense, a $2,000 superb for a second and at the least double that for every additional time they are caught. These possessing or trying to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new gadgets, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on present vehicles and trucks and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a vital step in helping bring reduction to individuals straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often doesn't cover a automobile proprietor's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with complete protection, there's a deductible that may be high enough that it's not value filing a declare.

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