Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing multiple theft prices 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 parts that play a important function in reducing automobile emissions.

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

“We had been very stunned at the amount in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said in a police video taken Thursday as officers have 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 will face further charges.

The huge rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of automotive and truck owners in the pocketbook and frustrated police, who are faced with against the law that takes just minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even when they find the stolen parts.

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

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, according to the Nationwide Insurance Crime Bureau, an insurance coverage 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 just 3,969 reports of stolen catalytic converters in 2019, greater than 17,000 in 2020 and greater than 52,000 last 12 months.

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing legislation designed to make it more durable for criminals to unload their loot. In line with the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced 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 crime and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap dealers that purchase legit used gadgets. They need to mark the merchandise with the donor vehicle's serial quantity and retain it for not less than per week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the primary offense, a $2,000 effective for a second and at the very least double that for every extra time they are caught. Those possessing or attempting to promote a used catalytic converter that do not meet new requirements could face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal laws is also in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new gadgets, supply grants for programs to stamp numbers on existing cars and vans and make it simpler to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe called it a essential step in helping carry aid to individuals immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage often doesn't cover a car proprietor's losses. Someone carrying simply legal responsibility coverage or legal responsibility and collision is on the hook for the total bill. Even with comprehensive coverage, there's a deductible which may be excessive enough that it's not price submitting a declare.

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