Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft costs Friday after detectives found 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 essential role in lowering vehicle emissions.

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

“We had been very shocked on the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier mentioned 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 shopping for and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face further charges.

The massive rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck owners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who are confronted with a crime that takes simply minutes to commit and is tough to solve even when they find the stolen parts.

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

Replacing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in response to the National Insurance coverage 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 coverage group counted simply 3,969 stories of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, more than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In response to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this 12 months 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 lots of situations against the law and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy authentic used devices. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor vehicle's serial number and retain it for at the very least every week in authentic condition.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 fine for the primary offense, a $2,000 advantageous for a second and at the least 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 legislation is also within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new devices, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on existing cars and trucks and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a vital step in serving to carry relief to folks immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often doesn't cover a car proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying simply liability coverage or liability and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there is a deductible that may be excessive sufficient that it is not price filing a claim.

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