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Shop owner Phil Boatright shows the exhaust system on a GMC box truck Feb. 17 at Discount Exhaust Works where one of two catalytic converters were stolen. Burch said the thieves may have been spooked as the second one, sitting above him on the right, was cut but not taken. Burch said the shop replaces stolen converters on average once or twice a day.
Spectators react as a driver of a classic car revs his engine during the annual Park Hill 4th of July Parade Monday morning. (Sara Hertwig/for The Denver Gazette)
Discount Exhaust Works owner Phil Boatright holds a California Compliant catalytic converters, now required in the state of Colorado.
Shop owner Phil Boatright shows the exhaust system on a GMC box truck Feb. 17 at Discount Exhaust Works where one of two catalytic converters were stolen. Burch said the thieves may have been spooked as the second one, sitting above him on the right, was cut but not taken. Burch said the shop replaces stolen converters on average once or twice a day.
Spectators react as a driver of a classic car revs his engine during the annual Park Hill 4th of July Parade Monday morning. (Sara Hertwig/for The Denver Gazette)
Discount Exhaust Works owner Phil Boatright holds a California Compliant catalytic converters, now required in the state of Colorado.
Denver City Council unanimously passed on first reading a bill intended to work in conjunction with state legislation targeting catalytic converter theft.
Under the proposal, anytime someone sells a catalytic converter to a scrap yard or an auto parts shop, the shop owner must provide Denver with the seller’s identification — including a car license plate and ID — within one business day.
New state laws already require the shops to collect the information — Denver is taking it a step further so, supporters of the proposal argue, the police department can watch for any patterns among sales.
In Colorado, thefts of exhaust emission control devices increased by more than 5,000% from 2019 to 2021, going from 189 to 9,811 reported thefts annually, according to the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority. In Denver, the thefts rose by 15,000% in the same timeframe – from 15 to 2,359, according to data from the Denver Police Department.
Without a catalytic converter, vehicles become legally and sometimes functionally inoperable. Because of the massive rise in thefts nationwide, it is difficult to replace catalytic converters, leading to weeks- or months-long wait periods for parts that can cost between $1,000 and $5,000.
Matt Lunn, DPD’s strategic initiatives director, previously said at a council committee meeting that the bill is structured similarly to the Pawn Brokers Act. Denver will use the same reporting service it uses for the pawn brokers rule to keep track of seller data.
Lunn told the committee two weeks ago that the number of catalytic converters stolen throughout the city in 2021 increased from 2020 by 899.6%, and 2022 is alright slightly above last year’s average with 1,318 stolen so far this year. He said the most common spots where catalytic convertor theft occurs in Denver are at residential or apartment parking lots, Regional Transportation District park and ride lots, and at Denver International Airport — though thefts happen all over the city.
Fighting the thefts took center stage in this year's legislative session, with Gov. Jared Polis signing two bills aimed at addressing the issue.
Senate Bill 9 requires auto part recyclers to consult with a national database to determine whether a catalytic converter has been stolen and allows more law enforcement resources and agencies, including the Commodity Metals Theft Task Force, to investigate the thefts.
House Bill 1217 creates an annual $300,000 grant program to raise awareness of catalytic converter theft through public information campaigns, theft prevention, victim assistance and catalytic converter identification and tracking efforts.
Senate Bill 179 would allow civil penalties for offenses related to catalytic converter thefts, including fines ranging from $200 to $15,000, depending on the number of violations. The civil penalties would apply to any tampering of a vehicle’s emission control system, including using or selling a vehicle with a tampered emission control system and using or selling parts that bypass the emission control system. These regulations would go into effect in 2024 and all fees resulting from them would help fund the grant program created under HB-1217.
The city of Aurora hopes to be the first municipality in Colorado to put the skids on nonfunctional grass with an ordinance that will get its first review from Aurora City Council Monday.