CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Catalytic converter thefts in Chicago are soaring, as lawmakers and law enforcement are trying to stop the stealing.
Thieves target the automotive part, because it contains precious metals which can be sold for big bucks on the black market.
Chicago police reported nearly 4,000 catalytic converter thefts through July of 2022 compared to 1,400 thefts reported in the same time period last year, according to the Chicago Tribune.
A new Illinois law requires catalytic converter purchasers to report sales to the I.R.S.
“We need federal laws on this, because all of this stuff is being transported across state lines,” Alderman Scott Waguespack told the Tribune. “Somebody is getting those ounces of metals that are very expensive.”
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