At our April General Meeting, the Houston Police Department joined us to talk public safety in the neighborhood and the city at large alongside our dedicated Houston Heights Constable Patrol Deputies. One of the most illuminating parts of the evening was the reported rise in catalytic converter theft around the city. We asked Seargeant Tracy Hicks from HPD to tell us more about this unfortunate rash of crime and to give us tips on how to prevent this pesky form of property theft, which could create thousands of dollars in auto repairs. Here is swhat Sargeant Hicks had to share.
Since the mid 70’s all vehicles in the US have been required to have at least one catalytic converter. Most vehicles have 2 and some have as many as 4. Catalytic converter theft is not a new thing but with the rising cost of the materials that converters are made with it has become the favorite target for thieves.
This is not your typical theft in the middle of the night like we might think of a tire or tailgate thief. These are mostly stolen mid-day when the noise of “cutting” them off can be masked by heavy traffic. It’s very hard to catch these crooks in the process of the theft, unlike someone breaking into a car, which can be seen and reported by a passer-by. This theft is from under the vehicle and not easily spotted.
In 2020 there were close to 1700 reported converters stolen, compared to 2021 where we had close to over 8000 reported. These are numbers are still on the rise this year. We are set to hit over 13,000 this year if the trend continues as it has.
Repair bills can run between $1000 and up and over $11,000 depending on how much damage a crook has done to your vehicle. These crooks are not simply “unbolting” your converters. They are sometimes cutting fuel lines, brake lines, wiring for transmission, and other sensors needed for the car. To make this worse, some shops are reporting up to a three-month backorder for some parts necessary for repair.
People always ask why we are not targeting the places where these crooks are selling the stolen converters. In fact, the City has changed many of the ordinances regarding metal recyclers in order to combat this. Recyclers can no longer pay in cash, which forces a thief to have a bank account to sell to them. Proper state-issued ID is also required with a thumbprint taken at the time of the sale. The Mayor is looking into further action that can be taken at this time.
The State Legislature also just passed new laws forbidding an individual from selling catalytic converters to recyclers, unless you are with a salvage yard or similar license holder or employee. That has helped some, but we have found many thieves are loading up truckloads of converters and selling them in neighboring states where the laws are not as restrictive. The bottom line is a catalytic converter is a “car part,” and it is hard to make laws against selling or buying a “car part”.
Catalytic converters do not have serial or VIN numbers on them, so it almost impossible to identify them as stolen when we catch crooks with them. This is why we are asking citizens and businesses to help by marking or etching VIN numbers onto their catalytic converters. This is for two reasons: first, if we catch a group of thieves with “marked” converters it helps to have charges filed against them and the property can be returned to the owner; and, second, buyers will get the word and not want to buy converters that have been marked because the chance of them being in trouble for purchasing “stolen” property has increased. Crooks will start looking for non-marked “cats” knowing it will be much harder to sell marked ones.
The fact that all vehicles have a catalytic converter does not necessarily make all vehicles a target. We encourage people to either look on-line or ask your mechanic where the converters are on your particular car or truck. In some makes and models the converters are in the engine compartment and are very hard or impossible to cut off. These are typically very small cars. The vehicles targeted the most tend to be midsize to large trucks and SUVs because their cats tend to be bigger, thus worth more.
The vehicles that are targeted the most here in Texas are:
- Toyota Tundra
- Toyota Prius
- Toyota Tacoma
- Toyota Sequoia
- Toyota 4Runner
- Honda CRV
- Honda Element
- 3/4 Ton trucks and bigger, F250, Ram 2500, Chevy 2500
These vehicles are not exclusively targed, but definitely the top targeted vehicles dues to their converters being worth more at a recycler.
In the past this crime has sometimes been put on the back burner due to it being “just a property crime,” but times have changed, and we have crooks that might have been committing other violent crimes switching to this type of crime now because of the profit. What’s worse, we have seen these instances become increasingly violent. The days of yelling at someone you find under your car or kicking his legs to get him to stop are over. We are seeing too many times where they are not alone and have an armed “look-out” nearby, or come out from the vehicle holding a weapon. For these reasons and more, Houston Police Department is forming a Catalytic Converter Task Force.
For now, prevention and education is our best tool to stop this crime. Here’s what we suggest:
- Marking our catalytic converters, painting them with high-temperature paint, and covering them with a metal skid plate.
- Parking in well-lit areas at night.
- Using your garage.
- Upgraded alarms with vibration sensors. These alarms will trigger when cats are being sawed off.
- Parking where access under your vehicle is limited.
- Asking your mechanic about other options specific to vehicle.
Thanks for the information and tips, Sargeant Hicks!
