A muffler shop employee replaces a worn out catalytic converter on a vehicle. Catalytic converter thefts are spiking across the country. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) (Francisco Kjolseth/AP)

An average of more than two catalytic converters are reported stolen from vehicles in Waukegan each day, but a new Illinois law effective late last month will make it harder for the thieves to sell the stolen equipment in the state.

An amendment to the Recyclable Metals Purchase Registration Law effective May 27 makes sales of catalytic converters harder by requiring Illinois purchasers of them to keep records of transactions to learn a seller’s identity and report the sales to the Internal Revenue Service.

State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, said catalytic converters can contain platinum, copper, radium and palladium. Scrap metal dealers can often pay between $260 and $650 for a single converter.

This photo provided by the Phoenix Police Department shows stolen catalytic converters that were recovered after detectives served a search warrant at a storage unit in Phoenix on Thursday, May 27, 2022. The bust came amid a national surge in thefts of the pricy auto parts that play a critical in reducing vehicle emissions and has led lawmakers in 36 states and in Washington D.C. to consider new laws to address the problem. (Phoenix Police Department via AP) (AP)

Waukegan Interim Police Chief Keith Zupec said once the scrap metal dealers take possession of the converters, they can legally sell them to a recycling manufacturer for “several thousand dollars depending on the metal” in the converter.

Johnson said the new law got her attention because of the ease with which perpetrators can quickly steal the converters and then turn them into quick cash because of the value of the metals in the equipment.

“This really impacts working people,” she said. “If it happens to you, you could lose your job if you can’t get to work. It’s a huge problem in Illinois, and throughout the country. In some communities there are one, two or three stolen each day.”

Waukegan is one of those places. Zupec said since Jan. 1, the department has received 294 reports of stolen catalytic converters. They are taken from a variety of locations in the city, both residential and commercial. It is a swift crime to commit.

“It only takes a minute or two to cut them off with a hacksaw, so it is relatively easy,” he said.

A muffler shop employee replaces a worn out catalytic converter on a vehicle. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP) (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune/AP)

Since the first of the year, police officials in a number of Lake County municipalities said their communities have experienced a rash of catalytic converter thefts. Approximately 20 were taken in Deerfield, 19 in Highland Park, 46 in Gurnee and 18 in Buffalo Grove.

Commander Juan Mazariegos of the Deerfield police department said many of the reported catalytic converter thefts are in hotel parking lots. In Buffalo Grove, Lt. Timothy Gretz said most of the thefts there take place in parking lots at apartment complexes and industrial parks.

Deputy Chief Chris Covelli of the Lake County sheriff’s office said between 40 to 50 catalytic converter thefts occurred in unincorporated Lake County so far this year. They are not concentrated in any one area.

North Chicago is an exception, where only two catalytic converter thefts were reported this year. Lt. Freddrick Diez said people reported hearing motorized sounds in the early morning hours and patrols in those areas were increased. He welcomes the new law.

“This law will allow law enforcement to track down suspect information and obtain valuable evidence while building a case,” Diez said. “The law also puts a crimp in the business aspect of catalytic converter theft by limiting the value obtained from the sales of the stolen property.”

Johnson said the law requires the purchaser of the converter for more than $600 to report it to the Internal Revenue Service on a 1099 form. It also defines the equipment as recyclable metal which puts it under regulatory control.

Cash sales of $100 or more are prohibited, improving the ability to track them. All purchases must be entered into an electronic record-keeping system for all recyclable metal or a catalytic converter with its contents, according to the language of the law.

“We are trying to be part of the solution,” Johnson said. “This will make it harder on the thieves. We want to educate the public so they can be on the lookout.”