NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The NYPD launched a new registration program for a vehicle’s catalytic converter in response to an increase in thefts of the prized piece.
Able to be removed from a car in under three minutes, the catalytic converter contains valuable metals, including rhodium, which goes for $19,000 an ounce and thieves are easily snatching them from neighborhoods all over the city, according to police.
Converters are also taken to salvage yards where they go for about $400 each which is what makes the traceable registration numbers more necessary.
“Now salvage yards we'll see these labels also and think twice about buying them,” said Detective Thomas Burke of the auto crimes unit.
Burke added that since January, 1,400 converters have been stolen in the city, a 100% increase from prior years.
In 2021, the amount of auto thefts has more than doubled, according to NYPD data which shows 10,400 thefts in 2021 compared to an average of about 5,500 in past years.
Cops said drivers are leaving their fobs in the car which makes it easier for thieves to access the vehicle for joy rides or to commit a crime. Data shows 76% of stolen vehicles are found abandoned and intact.
“Thieves are aware that people are leaving their key fobs or keys in the vehicle, so they're targeting those vehicles and there's no skill involved,” said Deputy Inspector Robert La Pollo, Commanding Officer of the NYPD Auto Crimes Unit. “They can take the car within a matter of seconds.”
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