Thieves are stealing cars' catalytic converters in broad daylight. Will this stop them?

Local legislators and law enforcement officials say a bill that aims to choke the market for stolen catalytic converters is likely the best way to curb such thefts, which are becoming more brazen lately.

The state General Assembly's Public Safety Committee late last month passed a bipartisan bill that, if it passes legislative muster and is signed into law, would still allow scrap yards and recycling companies to buy catalytic converters, but only if certain stringent caveats are met.

Senate Bill 256, “An act concerning the purchase or receipt of catalytic converters by motor vehicle recyclers, scrap metal processors and junk dealers” would in most circumstances prevent a company from buying the devices unless they are physically attached to a vehicle. A recycler could not re-sell a converter until the vehicle identification number from the original vehicle it was connected to is etched onto it.

Any outfit that does purchase an unattached converter must record a bevy of seller details, including the seller’s name, address and driver’s license number; the license plate of the vehicle used to transport the converter for sale; and a photo or video of the seller.

In addition, only one converter per day can be accepted by any one dealer and payments would consist of a check mailed to a seller's address. Sales information would need to be forwarded to state police weekly.

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State Sen. Cathy Osten, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, said the COVID-19 pandemic led to a spike in a variety of illegal activity in recent years, including an uptick in catalytic converter thefts.

“Short of standing outside and watching your car 24 hours a day, the answer to catalytic converter thefts is to kill the market for their illegal sale,” she said in a press release. “Criminals aren’t going to steal something they can’t sell, and this bill makes it nearly impossible to sell a stolen catalytic converter. Or, you may steal and sell a few, but the police will easily identify and catch up to you. I think this is going to be a game-changer for the public."

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On April 3, days after the committee sent the bill to the state Senate for consideration, state police were dispatched to a Lisbon shopping center supermarket parking lot where a catalytic converter was stolen mid-afternoon.

“These thefts have been happening throughout the region, and can happen during broad daylight in busy parking lots,” state police officials said in a news release.

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Last month, more than a dozen catalytic converters were cut out of vehicles parked in the Putnam Ford dealership lot. Putnam Police Chief Chris Ferace, whose department’s Special Services District coverage area does not include the Park Road dealership, said officers have been dispatched sporadically in the last couple of years for converter thefts.

He said the anti-theft bill’s focus on scrap metal dealers and junkyards makes sense.

“When someone drives in with a dozen or more catalytic converters for sale, you have to believe they’d been obtained illegally,” Ferace said.

Ferace likened device thieves to a NASCAR pit crew who, after locating an attractive vehicle – ideally one with a high ground clearance - quickly get to work.

“Then they get under with a portable saw and chop it away and move on,” he said.

Ferace said there are ways to mitigate such thefts and they all require vigilance.

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“When you park, do it where there’s activity and be prepared to be a good witness,” he said. “It might not be your vehicle targeted, but one that’s three or 10 spaces down. If something looks or sounds out of place, contact law enforcement.”

The converters, which reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from vehicle tailpipes, contain several precious metals – platinum, palladium, rhodium – whose values have sky-rocketed in recent years. The committee noted rhodium alone, which sold for $1,850 an ounce in 2018 is now selling for $20,250 an ounce.

Plainfield Deputy Police Chief Will Wolfburg said the department during the past two years has responded to several commercial and residential catalytic converter thefts, almost all during the overnight hours.

“It takes only minutes to complete those thefts by someone who can carry a portable saw under a jacket or in a backpack, but it represents a big financial loss for the victim,” he said. “And it’s very hard to track the stolen parts down since there’s no identifying numbers on them.”

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The National Insurance Crime Bureau estimates catalytic converter thefts jumped 293% nationwide from mid-2020 to the same time in 2021. Converter resale prices are pegged at roughly $150, though it can cost a vehicle owner several thousand dollars to replace a stolen device, the agency said.

Arthur Faunce Jr., operator of Plainfield Scrap Metal, Inc., said his Margaret Lane business almost never purchases catalytic converters brought in for sale.

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“I’ll do it if it’s someone I personally know, but that’s it,” he said. “That’s because you really don’t know if they’ve been gotten illegally.”

Faunce said the resale price of a converter can vary wildly depending on makes and models. He said some may only net a few dollars, while a Volkswagen version “about the size of a loaf of bread” can go for more than $1,200.

Wolfburg, while supportive of the spirit of the anti-theft bill, said he had some reservations about its efficacy.

“One problem is the thieves aren’t necessarily taking the converters to local dealers to sell and are instead using back-channels, sometimes out of state,” he said. “(The bill) is a huge improvement, but it’s like fishing against a rip-tide.”

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Wolfburg said converter theft investigations rely heavily on surveillance video and witness statements. He said in past cases suspects identified on camera have later been found with the sort of burglary tools frequently used to carve away converters.

Like Ferace, Wolfburg said the best protection against such thefts is awareness.

“You have to be pro-active,” he said. “If you have a car and a truck, park the truck in the garage.”

John Penney can be reached at jpenney@norwichbulletin.com or at (860) 857-6965

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Eastern CT police on board with catalytic converter anti-theft bill