La Mesa Police Department is hosting a catalytic converter engraving event on April 30 with a similar event planned for July to accommodate more residents.
Catalytic converters are located on the underside of a vehicle and contain platinum worth up to $1,100 per ounce, palladium worth up to $2,400 per ounce and rhodium worth up to $26,000 pe ounce. Stolen catalytic converters can be sold to core recyclers.
According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, catalytic converter thefts jumped 325% from 2018 to 2020 and are slated to increase dramatically through 2022.
La Mesa Police Lieutenant Katherine Lynch said there are currently no laws in place requiring core recyclers to check for any engraving or identifying marks, but several state bills are underway that would potentially make it unlawful for recyclers to accept catalytic converters without Vehicle Identification Number markings to indicate which vehicle it came from.
Theoretically, using a vehicle’s VIN number as a key identifier provides a standard for tracking stolen catalytic converters.
State Bill 919, authored by California District 38 Senator Brian Jones includes three points to ostensibly cut back on catalytic converter theft and possibly result in more stolen parts being returned to victims. Under SB 919, car dealers would be required to permanently mark catalytic converters with a VIN number, recyclers would only be allowed to purchase the parts if they had a clearly marked VIN number and they would be required to share details of those purchases with law enforcement agencies. A similar bill was introduced by Indiana Congressman James Baird at the federal level in January.
There is no guarantee engraving a catalytic converter with a VIN will prevent theft in the first place, however Lynch said the police department has observed that an engraved catalytic converter stands a greater chance of being returned to a victim.
In early 2021, Lynch said, an officer found two individuals in possession of a hand-saw and a catalytic converter that appeared to have been recently cut off a vehicle.
“Fortunately, we were able to connect one of those catalytic converters back to a victim by matching the device up on the actual vehicle and examining the cut marks between the two,” Lynch said.
While catalytic converter theft is on the rise, she said, the police department has also seen increased awareness of that trend among community members along with residents keeping an eye out for each other.
“We love it when the community calls us because they saw suspicious activity around a vehicle, or they outright saw someone underneath a car and rightly suspected the person was trying to steal a catalytic converter. Anytime a community comes together to look out for one another and work in partnership with law enforcement, that can have a tremendous impact on reducing crime,” Lynch said.
Currently, she said, the police department has not seen any indication of thieves working to circumvent the engraving marks and they have set a goal of holding an engraving event quarterly.
“Our next event will be held this summer, potentially in July. We encourage La Mesa residents to follow us on social media to find out the date of the next event and receive the link to sign up. We offer this service free of charge to La Mesa residents and by appointment,” Lynch said.
Residents can also ask mechanics about possibly installing a shield or cage device that prevents catalytic converter theft if their car did not come with one already installed.
“Also, park in a well-lit area or install lighting to illuminate your driveway and if you see something, say something,” Lynch said.
