Marty Boyer checks underneath his sports utility vehicle in the parking lot where a catalytic converter was recently stolen off another SUV he owns July 2, 2008, in Cincinnati.
Troy Webber, owner of Chesterfield Auto Parts, holds a used catalytic converter that was removed from one of the cars at his salvage yard Friday Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va. Thefts of the emission control devices have jumped over the last two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed.
Used catalytic converter that was removed from cars at a salvage yard are piled up in a carton Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va.
In this undated photo provided by the Utah Attorney General’s Office, catalytic converters are shown after being seized in a recent investigation.
Honda models along with Toyota hybrids and Ford and Chevy trucks and vans are among the top targets for auto parts thieves trying to steal catalytic converters.
Troy Webber, owner of Chesterfield Auto Parts, holds a used catalytic converter that was removed from one of the cars at his salvage yard Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va. Thefts of the emission control devices have jumped over the last two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed.
Marty Boyer checks underneath his sports utility vehicle in the parking lot where a catalytic converter was recently stolen off another SUV he owns July 2, 2008, in Cincinnati.
Honda models along with Toyota hybrids and Ford and Chevy trucks and vans are among the top targets for auto parts thieves trying to steal catalytic converters.
Across the country, in big cities, small towns and rural expanses, thieves are targeting auto parts — with a prime focus on catalytic converters.
Also known as CATs, the converters can fetch between $50 and $1,400, according to police departments and insurance agencies across the country.
From small towns like Stanwood to big cities like Chicago and Miami, CAT burglars have been on the rise stealing catalytic converters from dealerships, business parking lots and even the driveways of people’s homes.
The devices convert pollutants from motor vehicle engines into less-toxic emissions. They are stolen and sold to metal recyclers or, in some instances, body shops in need of auto parts.
“They are targeting the metals in the mufflers, which they can sell to a metal scrap dealer for around $200 to $400. They work fast and can steal the item in less than two minutes,” said Lt. Mike Budreau with the Medford Police Department in southern Oregon.
That city of more than 85,000 people saw 37 catalytic converter thefts in 2021 and nine more by spring 2022, Budreau said.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks crimes reported to insurance companies, the number of reported catalytic converter thefts raced from roughly 1,300 in 2018 to more than 52,000 in 2021.
The trend appears to be continuing into 2022.
A suspected thief who officials say was armed was fatally shot by police in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston on May 5.
The payout has made the risks worthwhile to some thieves.
The higher costs of metals due to inflation can make the materials more profitable.
Shortages of auto parts because of the impacts of the pandemic and supply chain problems could be driving some illegal demand for converters, law enforcement officials said. COVID shutdowns in China, inflation in the U.S. and unpredictable demand have hampered automotive supply chains worldwide — including for parts.
Troy Webber, owner of Chesterfield Auto Parts, holds a used catalytic converter that was removed from one of the cars at his salvage yard Friday Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va. Thefts of the emission control devices have jumped over the last two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed.
In Washington, the sharp rise in catalytic converter thefts has been stark.
There were 42 catalytic converter thefts in 2019, 592 in 2020 and 4,252 in 2021, according to BeenVerified, which collates public and proprietary data sets.
Between January and April of this year, there were 1,533.
In Snohomish County, the Sheriff’s Office recorded 824 catalytic converter thefts last year, up from 76 in 2020. So far in 2022, there have been 594, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
Converter thefts are cropping up more frequently in the Stanwood police reports and Island County Sheriff’s reports for Camano Island, according to the Stanwood Camano News archives.
Authorities said catalytic converter theft often is accomplished using a saw on the exhaust pipe.
The purpose of a catalytic converter is to reduce harmful types of emissions from cars. However, the converters are manufactured using precious metals such as rhodium or palladium, making them valuable to resell.
Converters also usually do not come with markings that help detectives prove that they have been stolen.
To fight back locally, Everett police started Project CATCON ID last year, where a police technician is available to engrave the last eight digits of owners’ vehicle identification number on their catalytic converters. A window sticker also warns that the car’s converter has been engraved and tagged.
If the converter is stolen anyway, the engraved VIN numbers can help police track it back to the owner and solve crimes.
The Washington state Legislature took action this spring in an effort to curb catalytic converter theft.
They passed a bill that requires scrap yards and auto wreckers to solicit motor-vehicle ownership documentation to transact a catalytic converter sale. It also establishes grant funding for law enforcement sting operations, as well as a task force to recommend subsequent changes to relevant state law.
In this undated photo provided by the Utah Attorney General’s Office, catalytic converters are shown after being seized in a recent investigation.
Police in Las Vegas report that experienced crews can strip CATs quickly. Top targets include Ford and Chevrolet pickup trucks, Honda Accords, Jeep Patriots and Ford Econoline vans.
Some catalytic converter crooks are mobile and will move operations from state to state.
“We believe the suspects are from out of town and are taking the converters out of state,” said Todd Kleisner, deputy chief of police in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Kleisner has seen commercial trucks and hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius targeted by thieves usually seeking money from metal recycling. Stolen hybrid converters can fetch as much as $1,400 in the underground auto parts market, according to other police and insurance agencies.
U.S. and NATO sanctions against Russia (and its ally Belarus) over the invasion of Ukraine have cut supplies of raw materials as well as auto parts worldwide.
“There have been rumors the converters are being sent overseas due to raw materials shortages over there,” Kleisner said.
The Cheyenne Police Department in Wyoming saw 116 converter thefts in 2021 and 19 in the early months of this year. Lightning-fast thieves are targeting commercial and personal vehicles.
“This criminal activity can take place during the day or at night. Thieves will crawl underneath the vehicle and cut the converter out with a saw — some have gotten so good at removing them, that it can be done within minutes,” said Detective Bureau Lt. Adam DeBall with the Cheyenne Police Department. “In most cases, you won’t know this has happened until you start your car.”
Law enforcement in Wyoming, Oregon and other states are working with recycling centers to combat the theft rings but are making a limited number of arrests.
Replacing a catalytic converter can cost $1,000 to $3,000, according to NICB and the Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council.
Used catalytic converter that was removed from cars at a salvage yard are piled up in a carton Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va.
Police in Yonkers, New York, have seen a rise in converter thefts with rings coming from the Bronx and other boroughs of nearby New York City.
Dean Politopouous with the Yonkers Police Department said law enforcement agencies there are trying to raise public awareness how thieves find their targets.
Politopouous said thieves can make off with converter in 2 minutes and fetch “several hundred dollars.”
“Easy money,” he said of the motivations for the thefts. Police, meanwhile, are concerned about reductions in pre-trial detainments for defendants facing other criminal charges.
In the Northeast, thieves have targeted Hondas, Nissans and Toyotas. Other parts of the country have seen CAT thieves go after hybrids, trucks and vans.
“If you hear power or cutting tools outside during night hours, it’s probably a CAT theft, and (you) should notify the local police,” Politopouous said.
The boom in these thefts has spawned a cottage industry of anti-theft products.
The Toledo, Ohio-based CAT Clamp has locking converter cages that range in price from $181 to $920.
Cat Security near Sacramento offers anti-theft shields for Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Chevrolet vehicles between $190 and $500.
MillerCat of Santa Clara, California, sells a line of anti-theft locking devices for hybrids and popular models for between $75 and $570.
In Texas, a company called Converter Guard offers an etching set and will put a car’s CAT into a national database for $249.
In New York state, which has seen a 200% increase in thefts of the emissions control device, officials have also launched a new etching and registration effort with help from car dealers and police.
“The sharp increase in the number of catalytic converters being stolen across the country has police and legislators searching for a way to curb the thefts,” said Nichole Soriano, regional director for Travelers Insurance Co. and chair of the New York Anti Car Theft and Fraud Association at May 6 announcement of the tagging effort.
Troy Webber, owner of Chesterfield Auto Parts, holds a used catalytic converter that was removed from one of the cars at his salvage yard Dec. 17, 2021, in Richmond, Va. Thefts of the emission control devices have jumped over the last two years as prices for the precious metals they contain have skyrocketed.
— Stanwood Camano News editor Evan Caldwell contributed to the report.
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