By David Hernandez
The San Diego Union-Tribune
SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The job usually gets done in less than five minutes: Thieves jack up the vehicle, slide underneath and shear off the catalytic converter — an emissions control device in the exhaust system.
It’s easy — and prevalent, police say.
In San Diego County, reports of catalytic converter thefts jumped from 393 last year to 2,056 this year as of Dec. 9, according to police officials tracking the crime. That’s a 423 percent increase.
Nationwide, State Farm Insurance has reported “an explosion” in catalytic converter theft claims, noting that California was the worst state for the crime.
“This has become a trend rather than a series (of thefts),” Chula Vista police Lt. Dan Peak said.
Police say thieves target catalytic converters because of the precious metals used to make the devices, which reduce harmful vehicle emissions.
Thieves sell the stolen converters for hundreds of dollars to scrapyards or recycling centers where they can be melted to extract the metals — palladium, rhodium and platinum. Many experts say the value of the metals — worth thousands of dollars — is on the rise.
“Right now the recycling value of catalytic converters is extremely high,” Escondido police Lt. Bode Berreth said.
Police said the most common targets are the Toyota Prius, Honda Element and Honda Accord, although any make and model can be targeted.
“Nobody’s vehicle is safe,” Oceanside police Detective Chris James said.
Many thefts happen overnight, but, considering it’s a quick job, some thieves hit in broad daylight, police said.
Victims notice because of a deafening noise similar to the revving of a motorcycle engine. “It sounds terrible,” James said.
It usually costs anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to replace a catalytic converter. James said the thefts also leave victims without a mode of transportation for some time.
“This is especially detrimental to low-income families,” he said, “and the thieves don’t care.”
In August several police departments in San Diego County and the Sheriff’s Department joined forces to look at statistics and trends and share other information, such as leads on suspects or getaway cars.
“We’re trying to use an intelligence-led policing approach to address this problem,” said James, who created the informal task force.
The agencies, which include police departments in San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad and Escondido, meet about once a month, James said.
Police officials said they face several challenges in holding thieves accountable. James said suspects sometimes post bail right away, presumably using profits from crimes, so James tries to secure a high bail amount to keep them behind bars so they don’t reoffend.
Then there’s the question of whether recycling centers are responsible, too. James said there’s “no good answer to give right now,” citing ongoing investigations.
Peak, of Chula Vista police, said detectives have talked to recycling centers across the county to alert them to the problem and make it clear catalytic converters in bulk are likely stolen. His agency hasn’t investigated recycling centers, but “that could change if we develop information,” he said.
Another problem is detectives sometimes are unable to match a stolen catalytic converter to the vehicle it was stolen from — a necessary step to pursue a criminal case against the culprits. Sometimes thefts go unreported, police said, and catalytic converters are hard to link to a vehicle, especially without leads.
Now police are urging car owners to engrave their vehicle’s identification number on their converter to link the part to their vehicle. The unique numbers can also alert buyers to stolen parts.
Three weeks ago Chula Vista police partnered with an auto shop — Wheel Depot — to engrave vehicle identification numbers on 50 catalytic converters at no cost to the public.
Carlsbad police held a similar event last month. Among other efforts, the department’s senior volunteer patrol personnel spent “a good deal of November” handing out educational fliers to owners of vehicles that are commonly targeted, police spokeswoman Jodee Reyes said.
The Sheriff’s Department and Oceanside police plan to collaborate on an engraving event in Vista next month. James said the departments will release more information in the coming weeks.
Police offered the following tips to the public to prevent thefts:
- Install shields, clamps or locks to protect the catalytic converter on your vehicle.
- Park in a garage or well-lit area. If you park outside, consider a motion sensor light that points toward your vehicle.
- Install surveillance cameras.
- Report suspicious noise.
Police said they’ve thwarted thefts after alert residents phoned in the crimes.
In July Escondido police officers responded to a report of people stealing catalytic converters on Del Dios Road near Auto Park Way. Officers stopped a vehicle that matched the description of the getaway car. Inside they found burglary tools and eight catalytic converters.
Officers arrested three suspects, although the District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges. It is unclear why.
“When we decline to file on any case, we can’t discuss why, except to note that we only file a criminal case if we believe we can provide it beyond a reasonable doubt based on the facts and the evidence,” district attorney spokesman Steve Walker said.
Next: Addressing catalytic converter theft
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