Local police say demand for catalytic converters has reached new levels lately.
The device is found under many vehicles as part of the exhaust system.
In the past year, State Farm data has shown that Texas had the 2nd most insurance claims due to theft, right behind California. Dallas and Tarrant counties have some of the highest cases according to AAA.
"The demand for the catalytic converters is probably higher than I've ever seen in my career, primarily because of the cost of the precious metals that are involved in these catalytic converters,” said Michael Wall, a detective for Carrollton Police Department.
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Wall took NBC 5 inside their evidence garage to show the result of a major operation his team made at a local home this month. They seized two huge boxes filled with catalytic converters and other parts, affecting possibly hundreds of victims.
“This is a culmination of some hard work by our detectives here at the police department. This was an investigation into what started as one suspect who was stealing catalytic converters and ultimately grew into us identifying the people that they were selling to. And for us, that's kind of a goldmine,” said Wall. “What if we can actually target those people that are purchasing these from these catalytic converter thieves and reselling them to recyclers? Those are the people that we really want to go after. We were able to find the person that was purchasing from these thieves and we were able to seize a large number of catalytic converters from the person that was purchasing them.”
The high demand for converters could be because the precious metals found inside are fetching more money or it could be a side effect of inflation tightening its grip on the economy.
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Either way, thieves are making hundreds of dollars off stealing just one converter to sell to recyclers.
"There's a significant amount of money to be made selling these. So these thieves know that, they don't have to do too much work,” said Wall. “I mean, they're spending less than a minute under your car. They're selling it to someone for four to $500. And then those people are packaging and selling it to recyclers anywhere from $1,200 or up."
The Texas legislature enacted some stricter laws this year that forced recyclers to check for proof of ownership when anyone would try to sell a catalytic converter.
“A seller is required to provide the year make and model of their vehicle along with a VIN number, when they sell a catalytic converter to a recycler, they have to show some proof of ownership of the vehicle that that catalytic converter came off of,” explained Wall.
It actually helped slow down thefts at first but that soon changed.
“We saw a decrease in the amount initially, once that bill was enacted, however, thieves are pretty savvy, and they'll find a way to work around it,” said Wall.
The boxes that were seized in the operation this week were getting ready to be shipped out of state to New York to a recycler to get money for the metals.
"There are some recyclers that aren't abiding by the laws and requirements,” said Wall. “So these thieves will find those locations and that's who they will utilize to sell these converters to.”
It can cost up to $3,000 to replace a stolen converter. Police have noticed drivers are going to desperate measures to prevent theft.
In the evidence, some converters are wrapped with rebar or chains to hold them in place. Others even have bolted straps wrapped around them.
But the thieves are cutting through it all with a saw anyway. Police warn that those types of prevention methods might not even be worth the money.
"It's sad, because they're putting time and effort into trying to keep this from happening them and then they're getting re victimized,” Wall said. “And so we want to hopefully, educate people to keep them from becoming a victim of this."
WHAT YOU DRIVE MAY MATTER
Carrollton Police have figured out that the type of vehicle you drive could make you more of a target.
Through the most recent raid and seizure of catalytic converters, in addition to police reports filed by victims, detectives were able to narrow down the make and models of the vehicles that were targeted.
Toyotas are among the most targeted vehicles for catalytic converter thefts because the specific metals that thieves are seeking inside those parts have more value.
Specifically, Toyota Tundra and Tacoma trucks were overwhelmingly targeted compared to other vehicles because of the higher clearance off the ground, allowing thieves to more easily access the converter parts underneath the vehicle.
Tundras also surpassed Tacoma in popularity because it comes with two converters, making it more worthwhile for a hit.
“Depending on the make and model, some vehicles have a higher concentration of these precious metals, some of them could have up to four catalytic converters on their vehicles. And so it's just a variety of reasons as to why these are being targeted,” said Wall.
We're told many other departments are seeing this same trend, which is why educating the public is key.
"Accessibility and deterrence is what you should really think of when you're trying to become a harder target for these thieves. Where you park your vehicle, who has access, who can access it – how to make it harder for them to access. Think about those things,” said Wall. “And then also deterrence. If it takes them longer to cut the catalytic converter from your vehicle, usually they'll move along because there's so many out there that they can steal."
One thing that could make it harder to cut out is skid plates. It's a huge slab of metal that's mounted under the vehicle.
Wall said they're seeing more people installing the plates and having some success in preventing thefts.
