Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with multiple theft charges 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 pricy auto components that play a critical role in reducing automobile emissions.

The invention followed a months-long investigation that began 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and may face further expenses.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of car and truck owners within the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are faced with a criminal offense that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even if they discover 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 price a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage business 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 just 3,969 studies of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and more than 52,000 final 12 months.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been introduced this yr 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 lots of cases against the law and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that purchase reliable used units. They need to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for at the very least a week in authentic situation.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 superb for the primary offense, a $2,000 high-quality for a second and at least double that for each further time they are caught. These possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new devices, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on current vehicles 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 serving to bring reduction to people directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically doesn't cowl a automotive proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying just liability protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there's a deductible that could be high sufficient that it isn't value filing a declare.

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