Catalytic converter thefts on rise locally

Apr. 20—Catalytic converters and gas from school, business and church vehicles are increasingly popular with thieves, and Decatur City Schools is among the recent victims.

Deputy Superintendent Dwight Satterfield said the school system was hit by thieves who stole catalytic converters off three maintenance vehicles over the weekend, and thieves also stole two or three full tanks of gas and two tires off a vehicle in the past week.

Thieves target catalytic converters because they contain the precious metals platinum, rhodium and palladium, according to industry officials.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau last month reported most catalytic converters are bought at scrap yards for between $50 and $250. It said the pandemic slowed down the mining of the rare metals, driving up demand for the converters.

Satterfield said a surveillance video at the school system's secured maintenance shop on Central Parkway about 8 a.m. Saturday showed a suspect under each vehicle for about 30 seconds removing the catalytic converters.

"They cut through a 7-foot-high fence with barbed wire at the top of it to get in," Satterfield said Tuesday afternoon. "They went to a lot of effort to get in there. They knew what they were doing. We're taking a lot of additional precautions."

He said the system was hit by gas thieves six or seven years ago, but "this recent rash of thefts, we're somewhere in the neighborhood of $5,000 (in losses) at this point. We were fortunate to have surveillance cameras that caught some good pictures. Hopefully some in the community will do the right thing and help not just the school system but other businesses and identify these individuals."

He said nearby businesses over the weekend also had their vehicles hit. "We're working with the police, and we're optimistic arrests are coming," he said.

Decatur police spokeswoman Irene Cardenas-Martinez said the public is reaching out to authorities.

"We've received some tips and are following up on leads and it is an ongoing investigation," she said about the stolen converters. "It's a statewide or even a nationwide issue. These cases come and go around here."

Decatur police are urging anyone who knows individuals involved in the recent thefts to contact Sgt. Brian Prosser at 256-341-4842.

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Thieves' targets

Morgan County Sheriff's Office spokesman Mike Swafford said his department has also seen an increase in stolen catalytic converters from vehicles.

"We have seen a spike recently in the thefts across the county," he said. "Our records show we've had seven in the past three weeks reported. Often work vehicles and church vans but any unattended vehicle can be targeted."

Greg Williams, co-owner of The Muffler Shop on Sixth Avenue in Decatur, said most of the thefts likely go unreported to authorities. The number of calls he gets from motorists needing a catalytic converter replaced far exceed police numbers on thefts. He said he started seeing a significant increase in converters stolen from vehicles about two years ago when COVID-19 shut down the economy. It hasn't eased up, he said.

"They're being stolen weekly. I've had at least 50 calls in the past month," he said. "They were all local calls saying somebody stole their converters while they were in church or from their car in a store parking lot."

He said converters from church vans, box trucks and Ford 350 vans seem to be the most popular.

"The bigger vehicles have more valuable catalytic converters," he said.

He said replacing a converter costs between $350 and $2,000 in parts and labor depending on the vehicle and how much damage was done during the theft. He said some thieves damage the oxygen sensors, cut brake lines and fuel lines. Customers will have a wait ranging from an hour to 24 hours depending on the damage, he said.

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Precautions

He urged motorists who have a stranded vehicle parked along a highway to move it as quickly as possible so it won't be damaged by the catalytic converter thieves.

"They just need about 30 seconds or so to get one off and then they're gone," he said.

Satterfield isn't sure the ongoing thefts are related to the inflationary pressure impacting pocketbooks today. "I don't tie it to inflation," he said. "I tie it to bad character."

Satterfield said most of the damage remains below the vehicles' insurance deductible. "We can't lump the vehicles affected together. These vehicles are bought with taxpayers' money," he said. Most of the repair work will be done by the system's mechanics, he said.

He said the vehicles affected are used by the maintenance and technology departments and the Child Nutrition Program. He said fuel was stolen from two vehicles in the parking lot of the new central office downtown.

Angela Brown, owner of Brown's Aluminum scrap yard in Somerville, said she knows the demand for the catalytic converters has increased but her company requires the vehicle's title, vehicle identification number and a valid driver's license from the seller before it will purchase one.

"Decatur police have reached out to me about the stolen catalytic converters and I'm wanting the VIN numbers they have to see if they match up with any I have," she said. "Having strict laws in Alabama has cut down on the number of criminals coming to my business wanting to sell us stolen goods. I am sure there are some scrap yards who don't follow state laws, but I'm not going to jail for buying stolen items."

Swafford urged motorists to limit their chances of being a victim by parking their vehicles in well-lit areas, checking parked vehicles on a regular basis and installing security cameras.

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.