Rockford churches, charities among catalytic converter theft victims as US cases spike

Chris Green, Rockford Register Star
·3 min read

ROCKFORD — Tim Javurek, owner of TJ's Auto Center in Rockford, has received at least 10 calls in the past two weeks from customers needing new catalytic converters because the ones in their vehicles were stolen.

Of those callers, four were from area churches, he said.

Church buses, vans and SUVs, he said, tend to have a higher road clearance giving thieves more room to crawl underneath the vehicle to quickly remove the emissions filtering device.

Catalytic converter theft: Converter thefts have gone up by nearly 300%. Here's how to protect your vehicle

Thieves value the device not because of what it does, but for what it contains — three precious metals more valuable than gold — platinum, palladium and rhodium.

While scrap metal yards and recycling centers will shell out upwards of $250 for one catalytic converter, according to the precious metals market last week, platinum was valued at $1,031 per ounce, palladium $2,281 per ounce, and rhodium was valued at $16,400 per ounce.

"My question is who in the heck is buying them, and what are the police doing about it," Javurek said.

While a thief can remove a catalytic converter in a matter of minutes, installation at an auto repair shop can take about an hour and cost several hundred to over $1,000 for parts and labor, Javurek said.

Several buses and vans that have had their catalytic converters stolen from them over the course of two weeks, are parked Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022, outside the Barbara Olson Center of Hope in Rockford.
Several buses and vans that have had their catalytic converters stolen from them over the course of two weeks, are parked Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022, outside the Barbara Olson Center of Hope in Rockford.

Citing data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau, said theft of catalytic converters is a growing problem across the country.

Nationwide, claims of catalytic converter thefts went from 4,500 to 18,000 between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021 — a 293% increase, he said.

The recent thefts of catalytic converters from buses and vans belonging to the Barbara Olson Center of Hope has once again brought attention to the crime in the Rockford region.

The nonprofit at 3206 N. Central Ave. that serves individuals with developmental disabilities experienced two such thefts this month. Damage was done to eight buses and vans, which account for more than half of the center's 15-vehicle fleet.

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Pamela Carey, the agency's executive director said the theft has had a rippling effect.

"We're now doubling up on our runs in order to get the participants to the programs every day," she said, "and we're asking our other agencies that the participants come from to help us provide transportation.

"So, it's real burdensome just having to go through this. Who knows how long it's going to take just to get all the estimates and repairs done."

To reduce the chance of having your catalytic converter stolen, the NICB recommends:

  • Installing a catalytic converter anti-theft device. They are available from various manufacturers and can provide a level of security from theft.

  • Parking fleet vehicles in an enclosed secure area that is well lighted, locked, and alarmed.

  • Parking personal vehicles in a garage. If the vehicle must be parked in a driveway, consider installing motion sensor security lights.

Chris Green: cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford nonprofits struggle after catalytic converters thefts