Tuscaloosa Police Take Aim At Rise In Catalytic Converter Thefts

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Tuscaloosa Police Department on Tuesday announced the commencement of a proactive operations aimed to addressing a noticeable uptick in thefts of catalytic converters out of vehicles.

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Indeed, TPD says it has received reports of 78 catalytic converters stolen during 46 incidents since mid-April. What's more, 40 were stolen during 25 incidents since June 1.

Catalytic converters, which are part of a vehicle's exhaust system, are valuable because they contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium. While they can cost thousands of dollars to replace, TPD points out that those who steal them can get a couple hundred dollars when selling the parts for the aforementioned metals.

Vehicles most often targeted include trucks, vans, buses and any vehicle that’s high off the ground.

The thefts have occurred at churches, non-profit organizations and other places that may leave work trucks or vans in parking lots of properties that are left unoccupied and unattended overnight.

Analysis by TPD investigators seems to indicate that most of the thefts occur during the overnight hours, but at least one occurred at 8 a.m. on a weekday in downtown Tuscaloosa.

This detail will target people who steal converters and people who purchase them.

"TPD investigators are asking business, churches and organizations that fall into the frequently-targeted category to consider directing any security cameras toward parked vehicles and to please call us day or night to report suspicious activity," TPD said on Tuesday. "Reporting unusual activity and employing security cameras could greatly assist our efforts to stop these types of thefts."

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