Phoenix cops find 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was facing multiple theft costs Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed right into a storage unit, a case that highlights a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a essential role in lowering automobile emissions.

The invention followed a months-long investigation that started 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 surprised at the quantity in there,” Phoenix police Det. Adam Popelier said 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 buying and promoting the convertors was charged with 40 counts of theft and will face further expenses.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts across the nation has hit tens of hundreds of car and truck house owners within 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 components.

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

Changing one can value a motorist from $1,000 to $3,000, based on the National Insurance coverage 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 every converter.

The insurance group counted just 3,969 studies 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 discover, introducing legislation designed to make it tougher for criminals to unload their loot. Based on the National Insurance coverage Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced 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 cases against the law and adds detailed reporting necessities for scrap dealers that purchase authentic used gadgets. They need to mark the item with the donor automobile's serial quantity and retain it for a minimum of every week in authentic condition.

Scrap sellers caught with unregistered or stolen converters face a $500 tremendous for the first offense, a $2,000 superb for a second and at least double that for each further time they are caught. Those possessing or trying to sell a used catalytic converter that do not meet new necessities may face a six-month jail sentence.

Federal legislation can be in the works. Indiana Rep. Jim Baird is sponsoring a bill backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that would require serial numbers on new units, provide grants for programs to stamp numbers on current cars and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a important step in helping carry aid to people immediately impacted by the thefts.

Insurance coverage typically doesn't cowl a automotive owner's losses. Someone carrying just liability protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the complete bill. Even with comprehensive protection, there is a deductible that may be excessive sufficient that it is not value filing a claim.

“Lastly, some victims even with coverage may deal with the problem as a mechanical difficulty and just pay for it themselves and never notify their insurer,” insurance coverage crime bureau spokesperson Tully Lehman said Friday.