Catalytic converters hot commodity for thieves in Ann Arbor area and across the country
Catalytic converters have become a popular target for thieves looking to make a fast buck across the country, and the Ann Arbor area is no exception.
Several catalytic converters have been stolen recently in Pittsfield and Ypsilanti townships and in the City of Ypsilanti, police reports indicate.
Catalytic converter
Jackson Citizen Patriot photo
The thefts are a crime of opportunity, said Det. Sgt. George Warchock of the Washtenaw Area Auto Theft Team, which is composed of officers from Michigan State Police and the Washtenaw County sheriff's department.
"These are your really dregs of society. That's easy money for them. They're not going to make a mint. But it's good money for very little work put into it," Warchock said. He estimated that catalytic converters, which thieves typically sell to someone who buys parts for sale in bulk to a scrap yard, would bring anywhere from $30 to $80 each.
One of the most recently reported thefts occurred in Ypsilanti Township sometime Thursday night or Friday morning, sheriff's deputies said. The victim reported that someone cut the converter off a business rental truck in the 2700 block of Washtenaw Avenue, according to a sheriff's media summary.
Business trucks and vans are a frequent target of thieves because they're easy to get under and they are often left unattended overnight, police and industry experts say. Dish Network at 1777 Highland Drive in Pittsfield Township recently lost catalytic converters off six vans when a thief or thieves struck the night of April 30 or in the early morning hours May 1. Nearby Apria Healthcare also lost a catalytic converter from one vehicle in the same time period.
A car missing a catalytic converter will run very loudly. And the repair can be costly, though insurance will usually cover it. Replacing a stolen catalytic converter can cost anywhere from several hundred to more than a thousand dollars, Ann Arbor area repair shops said.
The converters are such hot theft targets that one area scrap yard won't even take them.
"We don't buy them because people off the street tend to take them off their neighbor's car," said Mike Swisher, an employee of Town and Country Used Parts, 3127 S. Wagner Road.
Unfortunately, there's not too much vehicle owners can do to prevent the thefts beyond parking in a garage. Some catalytic converters can be stolen in less than a minute, Warchock said.
One thing people can do is report anything they see or hear that seems suspicious. A statewide auto theft prevention program known as HEAT or Help Eliminate Auto Theft will pay a cash reward to anyone who provides information about the theft of an automobile or auto parts that leads to an arrest.
Comments
Ignatz
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 6:56 p.m.
A couple of devices, Cat Lock and Cat Clamp, claim to foil these thefts. I wonder how effective they are and if there's an insurance credit if you buy one.
Dog Guy
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 6:42 p.m.
HEAT will not stop trafficking in hot converters because thieves wait until it is dark and the converters have cooled off.
Macabre Sunset
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 6:27 p.m.
If there were a law requiring photo ID and a fingerprint for selling metal of all kinds, it would be a big help. Anyone who buys used catalytic converters is contributing to the crime. Just as anyone who buys scrap copper is hurting the construction industry.
John of Saline
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 5:37 p.m.
Were the Pittsfield thefts last week, or April/May a year ago?
Matt Cooper
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 2:05 p.m.
I don't know about Michigan, but there are some states where you have to have a special license to buy catalytic converters, and there are severe criminal penalties for operating a junkyard and buying them without the license. This stops a lot of the thefts because the thieves have fewer places to sell the stolen converters. However, as in anything else, there are those who will try their luck any way just to make a buck at someone elses expense. Sad really.
tom swift jr.
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 1:13 p.m.
yes, your car will still run, and, trust me, you'll notice the noise level when you start it.
Wolf's Bane
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 12:57 p.m.
It is in no one's interest to deal in stolen (or hot) items. The problem is supply and demand.
linuxtuxguy
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 12:11 p.m.
"These are your really dregs of society." That doesn't sound like a mistake someone would make while speaking.
Nancy Steiner Bowerbank Bowerbank
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 11:23 a.m.
If your Catalytic Converter is stolen will your vehicle still run? How do you know it's gone?
redstate
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 11:59 a.m.
It will sound like a race car with no muffler when you start it up. You can drive it but check engine light will come on and the connecting exhaust pipes may drag on the ground. Best to get a tow to repair shop.
DennisP
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 11:04 a.m.
Perhaps the non-ferrous scrap metal industry needs a closer look here. Copper pipe, copper flashing and gutters, catalytic converters. What else? There can only be a theft if there is a market. While it is important to recycle and recapture the value in metals, it seems that many dealers are more than willing to ignore what the source may be for these types of parts. I'm sure this costs countless of millions of dollars of damage and incidental costs annually nationwide if not statewide from police time spent taking reports and investihgating a theft to the gutting of older or vacant homes, warehouses, etc for copper and the insurance costs for repair and time lost from work or lost utility of work vehicles. No property crime is victimless and few can be considered trivial. Scrap dealers need to have as much or more accountability than pawn brokers.
A2comments
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 10:38 a.m.
Does Swisher report people who try to sell converters to the police?
acd5835
Wed, May 11, 2011 : 1:29 p.m.
... and so, I removed my entire exhaust from my SUV this week to replace it. If I go try to sell the two old converters, I should be reported to the police?