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 discovered more than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the expensive auto components that play a crucial position in reducing vehicle emissions.

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

“We have been very shocked at 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 should face further costs.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of 1000's of car and truck homeowners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is difficult to unravel even when they find the stolen elements.

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

Changing one can cost a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in line with the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance business group that works to fight insurance coverage fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for each converter.

The insurance coverage group counted simply 3,969 stories of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 final yr.

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 payments have been launched this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations against the law and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy reliable used units. They have to mark the item with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for at the least a week in original condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the first offense, a $2,000 fine for a second and at the very least double that for each further time they're caught. Those possessing or attempting to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation is also in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that may require serial numbers on new devices, offer grants for applications to stamp numbers on existing 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 essential step in helping carry relief to folks immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage usually doesn't cowl a automotive owner's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there is a deductible that could be excessive enough that it's not value submitting a declare.

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