Luis Oliva, an automotive technician at Milito’s Auto Repair in Lincoln Park, examines the exhaust system of the Toyota Prius where thieves cut off and stole the catalytic converter, on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. The precious metals in the converter fetch hundreds of dollars in resale but cost car owners thousands to replace, often with delays of several months to get the parts. (Victor Hilitski/for the Chicago Tribune) (Victor Hilitski/for the Chicago Tribun)
Seems there’s no shortage of epidemics. From COVID-19, to monkey pox, to opiates, to gun violence, were mired in them.
Add the theft of catalytic converters to the growing list. One estimate is that 52,000 of them are stolen annually across the nation.
If catalytic converters were people, governments on all levels would have done something to stop this scourge, which continues to plague motorists. Alas, the antipollution devices are just inanimate objects with precious metals such as palladium, platinum, gold and rhodium.
Those precious metals are what the converter pirates are after, with recycling prices running upward of $300. The same parts under hybrid vehicles may fetch nearly $1,500.
Catalytic converters have been federally required as an emissions-control device since 1975 for most cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the U.S. They have been targeted by the looters to the point where thefts have soared some 1,000% in just a few years, according to a study by Carfax, the online vehicle database.
Those who have been victims of catalytic converter thieves know the pain of the property crime. First there is the tank-rumbling roar when you start the car, then the cost (nearly $2,000, including your insurance deductible), the wait for the replacement part in this age of supply-chain woes and finally worries the vehicle may be targeted again.
Such frustration leads to violence. It’s only a matter of time before thieves or vehicle owners become victims of the increasing crime spree.
Indeed, shots were fired Sept. 2 during a catalytic converter theft in northwest suburban Park Ridge. A victim on the scene told police they heard what sounded like a saw being used outside their home.
When the victim went outside, he said he saw two men attempting to steal the catalytic converter from a vehicle parked on the street. When the witness tried to take a cellphone photo of the suspects, one of them pulled a gun and shot at him multiple times, according to police.
Days before that, Elmhurst police said they had been tracking a pair of alleged robbers for weeks in a car they say was involved in multiple stolen catalytic converter thefts in DuPage County. They nabbed one of the suspects in Chicago, but he escaped from custody, setting off a manhunt.
In Highland Park, police reported last month that 12 catalytic converters were swiped from vehicles from several locations along Skokie Valley Road. Residents and businesses in nearly every Lake County community have been victims.
In a study of catalytic converter thefts from 2019 to early 2022 by Carfax, the company found 1985-2021 Ford F-series pickups are the most-sought-after vehicle of the robbers in the Midwest, where Illinois ranks 11th for converter thefts. Other trucks and SUVs also top the list.
So how to stop this epidemic? Several ways.
Enact stiff criminal penalties for thieves and recyclers who accept the stolen parts. Have manufacturers stamp Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) on them like they are placed on other parts of U.S. vehicles. Start a national database of bar code identifiers.
Across the country, lawmakers have adopted legislation to curb the epidemic of converter thefts, including in Illinois. The legislature this summer adopted a measure to stop junk dealers from paying cash for a catalytic converter worth more than $100.
Insurance companies and their lobbyists have urged automakers make it more difficult to remove the converters, or covering them with cages to prevent the thefts as they roll off factory lines. Such cages are sold on the vehicle aftermarket.
Several police departments, including Chicago, have taken up anti-theft measures on their own. Chicago cops hosted an event Sept. 11 where spray-painted vehicle owners’ converters with neon pink paint to mark them, hopefully deterring thieves.
Honda of Downtown Chicago sent an email blast last week to owners who purchased their vehicles there, inviting them to schedule an appointment at the Loop dealership to have their converters spray-painted pink. Hondas are in most top-10 lists for converter thefts.
“Deter the theft of your catalytic converter by having us spray paint it pink!” the email announced. “Once it’s pink your catalytic converter is less likely to be sold to a recycling center!” Beside the paint, the converter will be marked with “Chicago Police 014″, the CPD designation for the Shakespeare District.
Painting the converters are a stopgap measure. Lawmakers at the federal and state level need to do more to stop the epidemic. Before someone gets hurt trying to protect their property.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.