Colorado Springs — This is a costly crime that can even damage your vehicle because of the high cost of proper repairs. News5 delved into the theft of catalytic converters and why all of us who drive can commit such crimes.
In just a few minutes, a crook with a saw will crawl under your car and cut off the catalytic converter. This has happened hundreds of times in the Pikes Peak area. Criminals will then seek to sell valuable parts, causing your vehicle to require expensive repairs.
Earlier this month, we showed you the criminal behavior of one of the suspects when he used a saw to cut the catalytic converter of a work truck parked at a construction company in Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs Police Department Detective Dennis Mallett said: "Each one costs people between $2 and $5,000."
Detective Mallet has been investigating such crimes for the past ten years and said that the catalytic converter theft will only get worse.
Mallett said: "The metal in it is very rare, it pushes up the market price, so the thieves have discovered this, they know how to steal it quickly."
Crime statistics show that CSPD's catalytic converter theft investigations are increasing exponentially. As early as 2019, there were only 3 cases, and by 2020, it jumped to 106 cases. This year investigators said that so far, there have been more than 300 cases.
Even with these numbers, investigators said that catalytic converter theft is some of the most unknown crimes.
"Only based on some of the people I arrested this year, I think they have very few reports. I have two suspects who have admitted to stealing more than 1,000 people," Mallet said.
At Bud's Muffler in Colorado Springs, technicians saw victims of catalytic converter theft pouring into their doors looking for repairs. Owner Jeff Goodwin said that sometimes he has to deliver bad news.
"I mean, it has some vehicles in total. Since the first year of this year, the value of the catalytic converter has tripled," Goodwin said.
Fed up with the crime frenzy, Bud's Muffler decided to proactively provide free services to protect customers and help investigators.
"We are painting the catalytic converter with flame retardant paint. Its purpose is to mark the cat so that if someone catches one of the painted cats, the police will know that the catalytic converter has been stolen. Then they can Look at the cat, and then we engraved the VIN and the tag number on the cat so they can trace it back to the person who was stolen," Goodwin said.
Investigators say that even if you are not a car expert, you may know whether you have been a victim of these thefts.
"You will notice soon, because once you start your car, your exhaust system will miss a large chunk, so the sound will be much louder," Mallett said.
Experts who perform these repairs say that legislators need to look at the problem and try to hold those who buy the stolen catalytic converters accountable, thereby exacerbating the problem.
Goodwin said: "I don't know if this is a salvage farm or something else, but if you want to buy a cat, you must have paperwork. I think this will slow things down."
Investigators want us to remember that these are loud crimes and the saw is usually used at night. Surveillance video and anti-crime hotline prompts are of great help in solving these crimes.
You can call the Fight Crime Hotline at 634-STOP at any time to remain anonymous.