Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft expenses Friday after detectives found more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a important function in lowering car emissions.

The invention followed 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 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 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 should face extra costs.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of 1000's of automobile and truck homeowners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're faced with against the law that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to resolve even if they discover the stolen elements.

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

Replacing one can price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, an insurance industry 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 experiences of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 final year.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this yr in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations a crime and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap sellers that purchase legit used gadgets. They have to mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for not less than every week in authentic situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 advantageous for the first offense, a $2,000 high quality for a second and not less than double that for each additional time they are caught. These possessing or trying to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new requirements 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 National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new devices, supply grants for programs 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 relief to people straight impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often doesn't cover a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying just legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible that may be high sufficient that it isn't price filing a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with protection could treat the issue as a mechanical situation and just pay for it themselves and by no means notify their insurer,” insurance crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman mentioned Friday.