Investigating catalytic converter thefts

RITZVILLE – Police Chief Dave McCormick raised the problem of catalytic converter thefts over the past several months during the City Council's Aug. 16 meeting.

Thieves seem to work in teams, he said. They're brazen, sometimes jacking up vehicles and chopping off converters with reciprocal saws in the dead of night.

Since the 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency has required all newer cars to be outfitted with a catalytic converter-a small metal box clamped to the exhaust pipe that makes vehicle pollutants less toxic.

It's not clear where thieves sell the converters, but the crime can be lucrative as catalytic converters contain three very valuable metals - platinum, palladium and rhodium-that can fetch a handsome price if fenced to a scrap yard.

For the unfortunate vehicle owner who must replace a stolen converter, repair costs for labor and materials can run into thousands of dollars.

Here in Ritzville, thieves appear to come into town late at night and may wait until a train comes through, McCormick said. The blare of the train horn masks the sound of their power saws.

"These guys can remove a catalytic converter in less than a minute," McCormick said. "So, residents need to notify police right away if they suspect something."

So far, without such speedy notification, crooks have escaped detection.

His comments at the council come only hours after police located a vehicle suspected in the recent catalytic converter thefts.

At 4:45 a.m. that day, Ritzville police Sgt. Cameron stopped the vehicle with three occupants.

The driver was from the Warden area and well-known to law enforcement, according to McCormick. Cameron issued citations for several traffic violations and impounded the vehicle, but no probable cause for an arrest was developed at the time of the stop.

Jacob Newton of Inland Enterprise, a scrap metal recycling dealer in Moses Lake, noted the law for recycling these items changed a few years ago. In the past, customers were only required to show a valid vehicle identification number (VIN) for each catalytic converter.

Today, local dealers are requiring a valid car title along with the part – they will not accept catalytic converters from anyone other than the registered owner, Newton said.

As a result, the number of converters brought in for recycling has declined significantly.

"We used to get 10 or more catalytic converters a month, Newton said. "Lately, that number has dwindled to less than one a month."

Nevertheless, he noted that thieves can still unload these parts in states with less restrictive laws. They may also ship parts to online dealers.

"You can trace the converter back to the car, but ...a lot of people don't report the crime," Newton said. "So, thieves think they can get away with it."

Locally, prime targets for catalytic converter thefts are Ford trucks, models F-150 and F-250, because their converters tend to be large and relatively easy to remove, he noted, urging anyone noticing this type of suspicious activity to report the matter promptly to the police.