Rise in Metal Prices Fuels Spate of Catalytic Converter Thefts
Apartment Complexes, Metro Lots Targeted by Crooks Seeking Emissions Control Devices

By Carol Hutchinson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 16, 2008

There's something under your car that's worth its weight in platinum, and thieves want it. It's your catalytic converter.

Crooks armed with saws have been crawling under cars to steal the emissions control devices, which contain the precious metal and can be sold at scrap yards.

Police across the Washington region have seen a growing number of the thefts lately and are warning motorists to be vigilant. The weak economy, the ease with which the devices can be removed, particularly from vehicles high off the ground, and the accessibility of parking lots make catalytic converters the latest larceny trend, investigators say. Fire hydrants have also been targeted by metal thieves, who disable them for the brass nuts.

A rise in metal prices has spawned a black market nationwide for metal theft, particularly catalytic converters, said Bruce Savage of the District-based Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. "I have heard that they get anywhere from $70 to $200," he said.

Even for drivers who have never given much thought to their catalytic converters, they would notice if it was missing. "People start up the vehicle and it sounds like a motorcycle," said Nate Foster, a police crime analyst in Arlington County.

Diane Richardson, a spokeswoman for the Charles County Sheriff's Office, said 33 catalytic converters were stolen in the county from January to July. An arrest was made last month after a retired officer spotted a man with a saw underneath a pickup in a Waldorf parking lot, she said.

Richardson advises motorists to keep their eyes open for converter crooks and call police. "If you are driving through a parking lot and see somebody tinkering, they may be up to no good," she said.

At the end of March, Montgomery County officers stopped two men driving slowly through an industrial park late at night in Rockville and found power saws and catalytic converters in the bed of their pickup. The men were charged in the thefts of 13 devices from vehicles parked at automotive repair shops.

Officer Steven Pascali said that, according to preliminary figures, 73 of the devices have been reported stolen from vehicles in the county this year.

Across the river in Alexandria, 32 catalytic converters have been stolen this year, according to Sgt. Shahram Fard, who said most of the thefts occurred at apartment complexes. A couple were taken at Landmark Mall and some at repair shops where vehicles were waiting to be serviced.

The same trend has been seen in neighboring Arlington, where 13 converters have been stolen this year, mostly in June and July, again in apartment complexes and in areas that are close to arterial roads, according to police.

Metro parking facilities are also popular targets. This year, 34 of the thefts have been reported from cars in Metro lots, compared with seven all of last year, spokeswoman Cathy Asato said.

Detective Chris Dengeles of the Arlington police auto theft unit points to the economy as one reason for the popularity of the catalytic converter heists. The devices are "relatively easy to remove and are worth something," he said. A thief can target a number of cars at once, and "it's easy to cash in."

Fire hydrants also qualify as easy targets, but they are less lucrative than converters. Thieves get about $10 for the brass nuts, fire officials say, but they are rendering the hydrants inoperable in the process, creating a public safety risk.

Prince William County police said about 40 of the parts were stolen from hydrants in the county this year. A suspect was arrested last month in the thefts.

"We take this extremely seriously," Assistant Fire Chief Hadden Culp said.

Motorists are paying a price. Bobby Bell, service manager for Alexandria Toyota, said that in the past two months the dealership has repaired four or five cars whose emissions devices have been stolen -- mostly sport-utility vehicles and trucks, which are "easy to crawl under. They can get it out within two minutes."

Bell said the repairs can cost $500 to $2,500 and are covered by insurance.

Unfortunately for motorists, there is not much they can do to protect themselves, police said. Arlington's Dengeles advises owners to keep vehicles within earshot and in better light if possible.

In other words, just use "good old common sense," he said.