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One Sahuarita man posted a photo of his catalytic converter on Nextdoor. He said painting it red alerts junk yards that it might be stolen.
One Sahuarita man posted a photo of his catalytic converter on Nextdoor. He said painting it red alerts junk yards that it might be stolen.
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Nothing seemed out of the ordinary when Joe Gallagher parked his car Thursday evening about 25 feet from his home at Villas West.
Friday morning, he could tell right away something wasn’t right with his Prius.
“It made a very loud sound, so I looked under the car trying to figure it out and it was obvious the exhaust system was removed," he said.
Gallagher drove his car to a mechanic and explained what had happened.
“He put it up on the lift and said it was my catalytic converter, some thieves had stolen it and removed the whole exhaust system to get to it,” he said.
Gallagher was the latest victim of a crime growing across the country and Arizona.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts have been on the rise nationwide since March 2020. In 2018, there were 108 catalytic converter thefts per month on average; 282 in 2019; and 1,203 average thefts per month in 2020.
A Cronkite News story reported thefts in Arizona have grown from 30 in 2019; to 142 in 2020; to 1,501 through the end of September 2021, a 956% increase. Arizona's numbers were second only to Colorado. Those numbers are from BeenVerified, a public-data website.
BeenVerified reported 49,611 converter thefts the first nine months of 2021.
Gov. Doug Ducey called the increase a “crime epidemic” and signed a bill in May to make it harder for the thefts and illegal sales to happen.
The new law requires every person who buys an aftermarket catalytic converter to submit a record of sale to the Arizona Department of Public Safety along with any unique identifying markings or numbers on the device.
This strengthens an existing law that it is “unlawful for a person to purchase or sell a used converter unless the purchase or sale is in the ordinary course of business by a commercial motor vehicle parts or repair business in connection with the sale or installation of a new catalytic converter."
Catalytic converters look like a small muffler that ties in with a vehicle’s exhaust system. It converts environmentally hazardous gas into less harmful gasses.
They are a target of thieves because they are relatively easy to remove and are made of valuable metals — platinum, palladium and rhodium.
According to the NICB, recyclers typically pay $50 to $250 per catalytic converter. They said motorists can expect to pay $1,000 to $3,000 to replace them.
Gallagher said his will cost about $1,500.
Not having a catalytic converter won’t necessarily damage the engine of a vehicle but it will likely lower the engine’s power and fuel economy. It can also lead to louder exhaust noise.
Arizona has required a catalytic convertor in most commuter cars since the Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program launched in 1976.
From Jan. 1 through July 26, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department received five reports of catalytic converter thefts in Green Valley compared to one for the same time period last year. Pima County has had 107 reports this year compared to 131 for the same period last year.
PCSD Public Information Officer Deputy Tyler Legg said it’s important people report the thefts to law enforcement.
“If someone finds that their catalytic converter has been stolen, they should leave their vehicle in place and call for a law enforcement response,” he said.
Legg said someone could be charged with one or more felony offensives should they be caught, including theft, criminal damage or third-degree burglary.
Under the new state statute, “a person without a proper automotive recycler’s license found in possession of an unattached catalytic converter can be charged with a misdemeanor," he said.
Pima County has had one instance this year where a vehicle in its fleet had a catalytic converter stolen. Though the vehicle was parked in a secure area near the Juvenile Detention Center, the chainlink fencing was cut.
Sahuarita Police Department Sgt. Michael Blevins said since April, they have had three thefts of car parts reported but they were not converters.
But, thefts don’t always get formally reported.
“SPD takes a special interest in where crimes are occurring,” he said. “Often when people do not report thefts, leads that could have been followed aren’t available to law enforcement.”
Other Green Valley residents have posted about their own converter thefts on social media platforms.
Though Blevins said it might be difficult to follow up on a report without video or witnesses, it’s still important to report it.
“That may help in seeing trends like locations and time of the thefts occurring,” he said. “Obviously, thieves are often using power tools (sawzalls) to cut them out. So if you see this activity in your neighborhood, report it and provide as much detail as possible.”
Sahuarita Autozone Auto Parts store Commercial Sales Manager Jenna Chichester said they had a customer who had a converter stolen in Mexico. She said a couple of their company cars were hit by the thefts, too.
She said there’s not many ways to deter the crime, but suggested people be more alert and park in a garage if that was an option.
“If they are going to do it, they will do it,” she said of the thieves. “All they have to do is pretty much slide underneath the car, make two cuts and it pretty much comes right out.”
Gallagher said after his converter was stolen, he started to research and is planning to purchase a special shield that can be placed around the converter to protect it.
“If you install them, it makes it more difficult for the thief to remove them,” he said. “I talked to a Toyota dealer in Tucson and it will cost about $500. It’s not cheap to put it on but I’m going to go ahead and do it. It’s cheaper than the converter.”
Reporter Jamie Verwys grew up in Sahuarita and graduated from the high school in 2006. She lives in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2018.
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