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 discovered more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a critical position in reducing vehicle emissions.

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

“We had been very surprised on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier stated 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 buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face extra fees.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of car and truck homeowners within the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are confronted with a criminal offense that takes simply minutes to commit and is difficult to solve even if they find the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters are 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 cost a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, according to the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage industry group that works to combat insurance fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for every converter.

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

Lawmakers across the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this year 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 many cases a crime and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that purchase official used gadgets. They must mark the item with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for at the least every week in authentic condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 superb for the first offense, a $2,000 advantageous for a second and at least double that for every extra time they're caught. Those possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new gadgets, supply grants for packages 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 important step in serving to convey relief to people directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance typically doesn't cowl a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying simply legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible which may be high sufficient that it is not worth filing a claim.

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