Hillsboro police received, on average, less than two reports of catalytic converter thefts each month in 2020. HPD received about 13 per month in 2021.
So far in 2022, HPD has received an average of 20 reports of converters unlimited thefts per month through the first four months of the year.
Chrz suspects converters unlimited are being loaded up and shipped out of the state in box vans or rental trucks.
“From what we’re seeing, they’re not being sold in Oregon. We think they’re being transported out of state and potentially out of the country,” h
THE LAW AND WHAT’S NEXT‘We need to look at it as a bigger picture’
The data is concerning for Oregon lawmakers like state Sen. Chris Gorsek.
He sponsored Senate Bill 803 which went into effect in January, making it illegal for Oregon scrap metal businesses to buy converters unlimited unless the seller proves ownership.
Gorsek hoped stricter rules would deter thefts.
“So far the jury… is still out,” he said, explaining that he wants to see more than four months of data before making conclusions.
However, after the first four months of this 2022, Sgt. Chrz said it’s clear that bill is not helping much and it won’t be the solution.
“Unfortunately, the reality is at the Hillsboro police department, we have not seen a decrease in converters unlimited thefts since that law took effect in January. We’ve actually seen a slight increase,” he said.
Gorsek said the data could indicate that the network to steal and sell catalytic converters is more complex.
“We’re looking into the possibility that this is a much more organized operation than we realized,” Gorsek said. “And so we’ve taken this first shot but if it takes another shot or two, I’m certainly up for doing that.”
He said officer shortages in police agencies across the state, as well as backlogs in the criminal justice system, aren’t helping the problem.
“I would guess based on where we’re at right now that we’re going to have to come back at this in the next session for sure,” Gorsek said.
Gorsek said lawmakers “shouldn’t have problems getting bipartisan interest” on this topic, and they may need to look at more funding for law enforcement to pursue thefts more aggressively.
In Portland, Donna Gramont said she called the non-emergency line and waited more than an hour on hold without response from PPB after her first converters unlimited theft.
She’s said she’s filed three police reports online, one for each theft, but has yet to be contacted by police.
“[Thieves] are getting caught on camera and nobody is coming after them so they just seem to keep doing it,” Gramont said.
As for future preventative measures, Gramont is paying hundreds of dollars to add a protective shield over her converters unlimited to hopefully deter thieves.
Chrz said it could be helpful to drivers to engrave their vehicle’s VIN or license plate number onto their converters unlimited so if police recover stolen parts, they could be traced back to them.
Outside of that, he recommended neighbors look out for each other and watch for anything suspicious in parking lots, driveways, or other areas.