Catalytic converter thefts: What a new Tennessee law can and can't do to stop them - WTVC
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A new Tennessee law went into effect on July 1st, that puts stricter rules on the buying and selling of catalytic converters, in an effort to reduce them from being stolen.
Earlier this month, Chattanooga Police made a huge discovery. They said a Chattanooga man was caught with four and a half dozen catalytic converters that he didn’t have a license for buying or selling.
The new law requires scrap metal dealers to be registered and make their exchanges in-person, at a fixed location.
Senator Paul Bailey, one of the sponsors of the bill, said:
“We’re trying to erase some of the problem here in Tennessee by making some of the recyclers accountable.”
The people who make these deals are also now required to submit a written verification to the local police chief and sheriff. The Chattanooga Police reported they’ve only received two since July 1st.
Rick Reynolds, owner of Chattanooga Converter Core, said he doesn’t think the law will stop the initial crime.
“There are a lot of people who want to buy them who can't prove they have the right type of credentials," Reynolds said. “It just stops us catching them. People come in from out of state to buy, and they're not glued to our laws in Tennessee.”
Ross Litz, President of the Tennessee Scrap Recyclers Association, is one of the state’s major scrap dealers, and he actually played a part in developing the new law.
"Every catalytic converter they have that they don't have documentation for is now a crime," he said. "It's a misdemeanor."
The law states that violators will be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which according to Chattanooga Law Firm Davis & Hoss, can result in up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, and a $2,500 fine.
He said he knows the law isn't perfect and the theft won't disappear overnight, but he said they have some ideas of how to trace the parts back to the cars.
“What we're doing is trying to get with our automatic auto recyclers, our automotive makers, to try to engrave a special number on the catalytic converters, when they're built," he said, "so that if you have a certain number, you know, hey, if that shows up at a recycle yard, that's my catalytic converter, and track it back to the vehicle.”
He said it's going to be a work in process.
"People are going to have to get used to, hey, they can't just bring a convert to a scrapyard without proof of where that that converter came from," Litz said. "Also, on the law enforcement side, there's gonna be some months of educating the citizens as well as law enforcement, on how to how to proceed with these new changes."
source: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/catalytic-converter-thefts-what-a-new-tennessee-law-can-and-cant-do-to-stop-them
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