Phoenix cops discover 1,200 catalytic converters as thefts soar

PHOENIX -- An Arizona man was dealing with a number of theft charges Friday after detectives found greater than 1,200 catalytic converters packed into a storage unit, a case that highlights a nationwide surge in thefts of the pricy auto components that play a critical position in reducing car emissions.

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

“We had been very stunned at 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 may face extra fees.

The large rise in catalytic converters thefts throughout the nation has hit tens of thousands of automobile and truck house owners in the pocketbook and pissed off police, who're faced with against the law that takes simply minutes to commit and is troublesome to resolve even when they discover the stolen elements.

Catalytic converters are not imprinted at the manufacturing unit with serial numbers and stolen converters end up on a black market where they are chopped open for the valuable metals they comprise.

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

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

Lawmakers across the nation have taken discover, introducing legislation designed to make it harder for criminals to unload their loot. In response to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 150 payments have been introduced this yr in 36 states and enacted in 16 states.

That includes Arizona, the place Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a invoice this month that makes possession of a catalytic converter in many situations against the law and provides detailed reporting requirements for scrap sellers that buy reliable used devices. They have to mark the item with the donor car'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 high-quality for the first offense, a $2,000 effective for a second and at the very least double that for each extra time they are caught. These possessing or making an attempt to sell 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 invoice backed by the Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau that will require serial numbers on new units, provide grants for programs to stamp numbers on existing automobiles and vans and make it easier to prosecute thefts.

The insurance coverage group's President and CEO David Glawe referred to as it a crucial step in helping convey aid to folks directly impacted by the thefts.

Insurance usually doesn't cover a car owner's losses. Somebody carrying simply legal responsibility protection or liability and collision is on the hook for the complete invoice. Even with complete protection, there is a deductible which may be excessive enough that it isn't value filing a declare.

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