Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing multiple theft expenses Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto elements that play a critical position in lowering vehicle emissions.

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

“We were 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 buying and selling the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and should face further costs.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of thousands of automotive and truck house owners in the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're faced with a criminal offense that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to unravel even if they find the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters should not imprinted at the manufacturing facility with serial numbers and stolen converters find yourself on a black market the place they are chopped open for the dear metals they comprise.

Replacing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, according to the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, an insurance trade group that works to fight insurance fraud and crime. Police say thieves can get from $100 to $150 for every converter.

The insurance group counted just 3,969 experiences of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken discover, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In keeping with the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 bills have been launched this 12 months in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That features Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of instances a criminal offense and adds detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that buy authentic used gadgets. They need to mark the item with the donor car's serial number and retain it for at the least every week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 wonderful for the primary offense, a $2,000 superb for a second and not less than double that for each extra time they're caught. These possessing or making an attempt to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new necessities could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that might require serial numbers on new devices, supply grants for packages to stamp numbers on present vehicles and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a critical step in serving to convey aid to individuals immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance usually does not cowl a automobile proprietor's losses. Somebody carrying just legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the total invoice. Even with comprehensive protection, there is a deductible that could be high enough that it is not value filing a claim.

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