Law enforcement offers tips on how to prevent catalytic converter thefts - WVLT

Officials with the Knoxville Police Department report 31 catalytic converter thefts in the first two months into 2022.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - So far in 2022, there have been 31 catalytic converter thefts as of Feb. 28. Last year, there were 379 and in 2020 there were a total of 79. Law enforcement said stealing a catalytic converter only takes minutes.

For East Tennesseean, Ricky Vela, he’s learning justice doesn’t come as quickly. He had a converter stolen from his car and the thief or thieves also took something else.

Vela said, “It’s also pretty frustrating that they broke out my back window and stole my tools so I mean I work hard for my stuff.”

Vela got a new car, but said it wasn’t easy to work in the solar business without his tools. That’s why he’s focused on getting those back.

“That’s over a thousand dollars worth of tools that they stole and I really want those back,” Vela said.

He said the thief left something behind that may help police with the case. A wallet and driver’s license near the crime scene. Law enforcement said not every victim was this lucky.

Stacey Payne with East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers said, “It is hard to catch them in the act because it only takes a few moments to remove that so it is something we all need to be aware of. "

To help prevent this, the state passed a law last July requiring scrapyard and salvage shops to register as scrap metal dealers. They also have to tell police if a business is buying and selling converters, but authorities suspect not all scrapyards are playing by the rules.

Law enforcement officials said there were ways to help prevent these thefts. They asked people to park in well-lit, busy areas and consider security devices for the converter.

“One of them is a vibrating alarm or censor so when somebody wants to start sawing one of those off, it will start vibrating and setting off an alarm,” Payne said.

Vela said he would consider a security device so he doesn’t have his converter stolen again.

Knoxville Police officials said the most common model of cars to have their converters stolen were Hondas, Chevy Express vans and a Toyota Prius in 2021. Officials also said SUVs were the most common type of vehicle impacted by these thefts.

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source: https://www.wvlt.tv/2022/03/22/law-enforcement-offer-tips-how-prevent-catalytic-converter-thefts/

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