Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was going through 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 pricy auto components that play a crucial role in reducing vehicle emissions.

The invention adopted a months-long investigation that started with a January tip that somebody was storing stolen catalytic converters in an industrial space close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“We had been very surprised on the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier stated 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 additional charges.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automotive and truck owners in the pocketbook and annoyed police, who're faced with a crime that takes just minutes to commit and is difficult to resolve even if they discover the stolen parts.

Catalytic converters will not be imprinted at the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they're chopped open for the valuable metals they contain.

Replacing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, in keeping with the Nationwide Insurance 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 each converter.

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

Lawmakers throughout the nation have taken notice, introducing laws designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In response to the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been launched this year in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, where Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in lots of situations a criminal offense and provides detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that buy official used gadgets. They must mark the merchandise with the donor vehicle's serial number and retain it for at the very least every week in authentic situation.

Scrap dealers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the first offense, a $2,000 high quality for a second and a minimum of double that for each additional time they're caught. These possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that don't meet new requirements might face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be within the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a invoice backed by the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new gadgets, provide grants for applications to stamp numbers on current automobiles and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe known as it a essential step in helping deliver relief to individuals immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often does not cowl a automobile owner's losses. Somebody carrying just legal responsibility protection or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the full bill. Even with complete coverage, there's a deductible that could be high sufficient that it's not price filing a claim.

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