Trumbull Lawmakers Vote To Stop Catalytic Converter Thefts

TRUMBULL, CT — State Reps. David Rutigliano (R-123), Laura Devlin (R-134) and Ben McGorty (R-122) announced in a news release this week their support of a wide-ranging bill that looks to aid law enforcement in tracking or identifying any potential criminal activity to combat the rise of catalytic converter theft in the state.

According to the release, Trumbull has been affected by a number of these thefts, including an incident in which catalytic converters were stolen from 28 buses at the Cooperative Educational Service School in 2021.

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The announcement, along with statements from all three state representatives, can be read in full here:

State Reps. David Rutigliano (R-123), Laura Devlin (R-134) and Ben McGorty (R-122) supported a wide-ranging bill that looks to aid law enforcement in tracking or identifying any potential criminal activity to combat the rise of catalytic converter theft in the state.

Trumbull has had several incidences of these thefts, including the catalytic converters of an entire fleet of school buses (28 buses) at the Cooperative Educational Service School in 2021 and 16 Trumbull school buses on Spring Hill Road last month, leaving students without ride to school.

Rep. Rutigliano said, "We needed to do something to stop the demand for these parts. Car owners are waking up daily wondering if their car/truck still have the catalytic converters each morning.

"Municipalities having their entire fleet of school buses or town vehicles stripped of the parts affects many people and costs the town or school district thousands of dollars. We are not stopping junk yards from taking parts, we are just asking for additional verification of the catalytic converters they receive," said Rep. Devlin.

In recent years, thefts of catalytic converters have been on the rise due to the precious metals such as palladium, platinum, or rhodium contained in the converters.

Rep. McGorty said, "This bill will help to give residents and families some assurance that Connecticut is making it more difficult for bad actors to perpetuate this trend of stealing catalytic converters and profiting off the sale of these stolen parts. We are allowing businesses to operate as usual, but adding safeguards against illegal activity is a great step to prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of residents."

Under the legislation Senate Bill 256, the catalytic converter must be on the car before a recycler can buy it. The bill also says catalytic converters need to have a paper trail, meaning the recycler would need to write a stock number on the piece and have a written record of the transaction.

Also, the bill includes new rules for junk dealers and junk yards as well. Junk dealers would be required to keep a record of any catalytic converter that is not attached to a car.

The law would require junk dealers keep a record of the point of sale. They would need to keep information like how much the transaction cost, as well as the name, address, driver’s license, and a description of the person selling the catalytic converter. Sellers will only be permitted to sell one catalytic converter per day to a scrap metal dealer.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the precious metals in catalytic converters can garner hundreds of dollars per component when turned in at a recycling center or scrapyard.