Since the turn of the new year, Bartholomew County has averaged almost one catalytic convertor theft per day.
Catalytic converters, emissions-control devices located underneath vehicles, are coated with precious metals worth more than gold. The convertors have rhodium, palladium and platinum in them, which can equate to hundreds (sometimes thousands) of dollars.
Police have said that many of the thieves have drug problems, and can make off with the parts in minutes with the right tools. After the perpetrators saw off a converter from a victim’s vehicle, they exchange them for cash at scrapyards.
Last year, 177 catalytic converter thefts were reported to police in Columbus, up from 45 thefts in 2019. In the first 73 days of 2021, there were 71 thefts.
In an effort to fight the statewide issue, State Sens. Jack Sandlin and Aaron Freeman authored Senate Bill 167 this legislative session, which makes theft of a component part of a motor vehicle, including a catalytic converter, a Level 6 felony.
In addition, the bill provides that a valuable metal dealer “who knowingly or intentionally fails to comply with certain statutes regulating the purchase of a valuable metal and purchases a stolen valuable metal commits a Level 6 felony.”
The bill is meeting little resistance in the Indiana General Assembly, and will likely be signed off by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Legislators have identified a real issue, but it’s hard to believe that it will create long-term change.
Leaving it up to law enforcement to determine whether a scrapyard “knowingly or intentionally” bought a stolen catalytic converter could be a slippery slope. Additionally, it’s tough for police to catch suspects as they usually target cars in dark areas that aren’t monitored by surveillance.
Rather than increasing fines and putting more people in already over-crowded jails, alternative measures should be considered.
One law that has largely worked in the United Kingdom is that scrapyards are only permitted to pay for scrap metal by electronic transfer or check. This type of policy creates a trail to both the scrapyards and sellers, making it easier to identify which individuals and businesses aren’t abiding by the rules.
Another alternative would be to only allow licensed precious metal dealers to buy the parts, which could easily be monitored by watchdogs. At this time, there are only 25 in the state.
Laws are already in place that require buyers to verify where the sellers got their catalytic converters from, but it’s evident those rules are being broken regularly on both sides of the cash register.
As long as these precious metals stay high in value, and there isn’t an effective way to weed out bad actors, the issue will persist. In the meantime, Hoosiers will continue to pay the price.
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