The City of West Plains made a social media post warning its citizens of catalytic converter thefts making their way across the city.
City of West Plains, Police Department warn the community of Catalytic converter thefts
Catalytic converter thefts have significantly increased across the United States since March of 2020. In 2019, there were on average 282 monthly thefts of catalytic converters, which increased to 1,203 in 2020. This increase may continue to be fueled by the growing market value of the precious metals in the catalytic converters. The theft of a catalytic converter can be costly for vehicle owners due to loss of work, securing and paying for alternate transportation, and the necessary repairs to the vehicle.
A catalytic converter is part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that is built with platinum, palladium, and rhodium to make exhaust less harmful. Values of these precious metals increased sharply, spurring thefts of catalytic converters. Rhodium is the most valuable precious metal. Prices soared more than 3,000 percent from about $640 an ounce in 2016 to $29,100 on 3 May 2021, more than 15 times the price of gold.
Best Practices to Prevent Catalytic Converter Theft
The following are some potential best practices, which were identified in open-source and industry reporting, that may help prevent the theft of catalytic converters:
• Park vehicles in a secure, well-lit area
• Install motion detector lights and video surveillance cameras in parking areas
• Etch the vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate number onto your catalytic converter