California Bill Would Require VIN Etching And Ban Cash Sales Of Catalytic Converters
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and LAPD Chief Michel Moore threw their support Tuesday behind a new measure to crack down on catalytic converter thefts.
The measure from state Sens. Thomas Umberg, D-Santa Ana, and Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge would prohibit car dealerships and retailers from selling new vehicles unless the vehicle's identification number has been engraved or etched onto the catalytic converter, and ban the cash sales of used catalytic converters by requiring recyclers to accept only traceable payment methods such as a credit card.
"We need to step up and give law enforcement the tools they need to track these parts and to put the folks who steal them behind bars,'' Portantino said.
Umberg said he had participated over the weekend in etching numbers on catalytic converters in an effort that he said took him 40 seconds and would take a professional about 10 seconds, and said the measure seemed to be a "common sense solution" to the rash of thefts.
Catalytic converters -- which are used to turn hazardous exhaust from a vehicle into less harmful gases -- are made of highly valuable metals such as platinum, rhodium and palladium and can fetch up to $1,200 each, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Gascón had reached out to carmakers last year for help in developing solutions to reduce catalytic converter thefts. Such thefts have skyrocketed in recent years, and California is among the top five states in such crimes, according to the District Attorney's Office.
"These crimes are costly to consumers in both repairs and insurance costs. They also make us feel unsafe,'' Gascón said. "The solution to this problem, interestingly enough, is very simple to a great extent. When a catalytic converter is stolen, it is untraceable. That means that those crimes cannot be solved unless someone is literally caught in the act – something that is very difficult for the police to do.''
According to Moore, one in five thefts from a vehicle in Los Angeles is a catalytic converter, noting it has become a "very attractive market" for thieves and a "difficult challenge" for law enforcement to deter and hold those responsible accountable.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)