2/15/2023 0 Comments Safecat 2 cyberstakes![]() As the exhaust system warms up, the rest of the sticker melts onto the converter, making it extremely difficult to remove and easier to link a stolen converter to a vehicle or owner. Once the sticker is secured to the converter, a technician applies acid over it, burning the number into the converter. The Safecat program uses a sticker with the number written in perforations. Arizonans reported 2,046 converter thefts in 2021, an increase of 1,340% over 2019. Jason Church prepares a Safecat sticker for application on a catalytic converter at Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix. If you know that there’s surveillance cameras nearby, definitely work within view of those surveillance cameras.”īower said police also work with pawn shops and scrap metal facilities to recover stolen converters and investigate who is stealing them.Ĭourtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix offers car buyers a way to mark the catalytic converter with a unique number that’s registered to the vehicle. Brian Bower, Phoenix Police Department spokesperson, said one of the best deterrents is to be more intentional about parking locations and “making sure that you’re parking your vehicle in a well-lit area. The law also gives police more power to investigate scrap metal businesses and requires scrap buyers to mark a legally bought converter with the serial number of the car and keep it in its original condition for a week. People who solicit or advertise unregistered converters can be fined up to $4,000. Doug Ducey in May, makes it unlawful to purchase or sell catalytic converters in many instances outside garages and auto parts stores, and requires anyone who buys a used converter to register the transaction with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. The bureau tracked 26 states in 2021 that proposed legislation to combat converter thefts, and in 2022, Arizona joined the list. Replacing one can cost more than $1,000, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. (Photo by Troy Hill/Cronkite News)Ĭatalytic converters contain precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, which are valuable on the black market and make them a target for thieves. Filled with such precious metals as platinum, palladium and rhodium, converters increasingly are being targeted by thieves. In addition, police recommend that drivers be intentional about where they park.Ī catalytic converter sits in the undercarriage of a vehicle at Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix. ![]() Catalytic converters can be “hardened” to deter theft, and a unique number can be acid-etched onto the converter to increase the chance of recovering it if stolen. The National Insurance Crime Bureau reports that the number of catalytic converter theft claims to insurance companies jumped from 3,389 in 2019 to 14,433 in 2020 – a 325% increase.Īrizonans reported 2,046 thefts in 2021, an increase of 1,340% over 2019 and a spike second only to Colorado, according to an analysis by BeenVerified, which reports on public data.Īnd in May, Phoenix police found 1,200 catalytic converters in a storage unit after investigating a crime ring, the Associated Press reported.ĭeterring and prosecuting catalytic converter theft is difficult because they don’t come with a serial number or other distinguishing characteristics, so there’s no way to prove a stolen converter belongs to someone else.īut there are steps you can take. Thefts of the emissions-control devices from under vehicles are skyrocketing across the country, authorities say. PHOENIX – Drivers may not know what catalytic converters do, but it’s clear that they’re valuable. ![]() ![]() Converter thefts continue to rise across the U.S. The acid will eat into the metal through the perforations in the sticker, etching the code onto the device. A mechanic at Courtesy Chevrolet in Phoenix applies acid to a Safecat sticker on a catalytic converter on July 20.
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