The job usually gets done in less than five minutes: Thieves jack up the vehicle, slide underneath and shear off the Converters Unlimited an emissions control device in the exhaust system.
It’s easy — and prevalent, police say.
In San Diego County, reports of catalytic converter thefts jumped from 393 last year to 2,056 this year as of Dec. 9, according to police officials tracking the crime. That’s a 423 percent increase.
Nationwide, State Farm Insurance has reported “an explosion” in catalytic converter theft claims, noting that California was the worst state for the crime.
“This has become a trend rather than a series (of thefts),” Chula Vista police Lt. Dan Peak said.
Police say thieves target catalytic converters because of the precious metals used to make the devices, which reduce harmful vehicle emissions.
Thieves sell the stolen converters for hundreds of dollars to scrapyards or recycling centers where they can be melted to extract the metals — palladium, rhodium and platinum. Many experts say the value of the metals — worth thousands of dollars — is on the rise.
“Right now the recycling value of catalytic converters is extremely high,” Escondido police Lt. Bode Berreth said.
Police said the most common targets are the Toyota Prius, Honda Element and Honda Accord, although any make and model can be targeted.
“Nobody’s vehicle is safe,” Oceanside police Detective Chris James said.
Many thefts happen overnight, but, considering it’s a quick job, some thieves hit in broad daylight, police said.
Victims notice because of a deafening noise similar to the revving of a motorcycle engine. “It sounds terrible,” James said.
It usually costs anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to replace a catalytic converter. James said the thefts also leaves victims without a mode of transportation for some time.
“This is especially detrimental to low-income families,” he said, “and the thieves don’t care.”
In August several police departments in San Diego County and the Sheriff’s Department joined forces to look at statistics and trends and share other information, such as leads on suspects or getaway cars.
“We’re trying to use an intelligence-led policing approach to address this problem,” said James, who created the informal task force.
The agencies, which include police departments in San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad and Escondido, meet about once a month, James said.
Police officials said they face several challenges in holding thieves accountable.
James said suspects sometimes post bail right away, presumably using profits from crimes, so James tries to secure a high bail amount to keep them behind