Theft of catalytic converters is skyrocketing in Tacoma, police say. Here’s why
One theft happened in broad daylight in the parking lot of Costco in Tacoma.
Another in the middle of the night near the Foss Harbor Marina.
Catalytic converters, which reduce pollutants in vehicle exhaust, are being targeted because of their valuable metals that sell for a high price.
The thefts have skyrocketed across Tacoma — and the country — within the last year.
Tacoma police say the thefts are widespread and about 75 percent of them are from Toyota Prius models.
Between January and February of 2021, there were 112 reported catalytic converter thefts, compared to three during the same months of 2020, according to statistics shared by TPD.
In all of 2020, there were 187 thefts. As of March 10 of this year, there have already been 140.
Ian Wilkinson, general manager of Foss Harbor Marina, said the thefts are a serious problem by the waterfront. He estimates five reported thefts within the last month.
“They almost always happen at night,” Wilkinson told The News Tribune.
Deven Peterson, manager of Bucky’s Complete Auto Repair off Sprague in Tacoma, said he’s noticed the uptick in customers needing repairs due to catalytic converter thefts. His shop alone deals with around five repairs a week, usually costing between $1,500 and $2,000.
Catalytic converters can be sawed off vehicles quickly, Peterson said.
“It only takes maybe five minutes, especially if they’ve done it before,” he said.
After, the converters are often sold for several hundred dollars to scrapyards or auto parts suppliers.
It’s against the law to accept or purchase stolen property if a person knows it is stolen, ranging from a felony to a gross misdemeanor depending on the cost of the stolen property.
According to a report from The New York Times in February, the price of palladium, one of the metals found in catalytic converters, jumped from about $500 an ounce five years ago to $2,875 an ounce last year. The price of rhodium, another metal in the converters, “jumped more than 3,000 percent from about $640 an ounce five years ago to a record $21,900 an ounce this year, roughly 12 times the price of gold,” according to the article.
Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Wendy Haddow said the department’s criminal investigation career crimes unit is continually monitoring the reported thefts and assigning cases to detectives that contain possible suspect information. When asked if communicating with scrapyards are part of the search for answers behind the thefts, Haddow said yes because “detectives pursue all avenues during an investigation.”
Haddow said patrol officers have increased patrols between calls in areas where there are many vehicles in one spot, including apartment complexes, parking lots and along the waterfront.
“The thefts are occurring all across the city during all hours of the day and night with no clear pattern of repeated occurrences at one particular location,” Haddow told The News Tribune.
The trend is a national one.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported 1,203 catalytic converter thefts per month on average in 2020 compared to an average of 282 per month in 2019 and 108 per month in 2018.
According to the Northwest Insurance Council, it can cost anywhere between $1,000 to $3,000 to get a vehicle fixed after having a catalytic converter stolen.
“The rise in thefts of catalytic converters is simply stunning, and hints at the ease and access criminals have to steal these costly vehicle parts,” said NW Insurance Council president Kenton Brine in a press release. “It’s a good idea to check with your insurance company or agent to confirm your vehicles are covered for this kind of loss as well as know your out-of-pocket costs in case your vehicle is targeted.”
There are multiple ways people can protect their vehicles from the thefts. The simplest way is to lock your car and close your windows, park in a well-lit area, park close to building entrances where your vehicle is more clearly visible or park in a garage if you have one, according to police.
Another preventative measure is to install video surveillance near where you regularly park your car, say police. Some vehicles also can have security systems adjusted to activate based on vibrations.
Some vehicle owners have even taken to getting their vehicle’s VIN number engraved into their catalytic converter so that it can be traced back to them.
Some auto repair sites, including Bucky’s, are now offering shields that cover the entire area of the catalytic converter to deter thieves.
This story was originally published March 21, 2021 at 5:05 AM.
