LAPD hosts free catalytic converter etching Wednesday at Silver Lake Reservoir

People who want their vehicle identification numbers etched onto their catalytic converters as a preventative measure against theft can get the service done for free in Silver Lake on Wednesday.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Silver Lake Reservoir, 1863 Silver Lake Blvd, north of the dog park.

The event is hosted by the Los Angeles Police Department's Northeast Auto Detectives and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Office Taskforce for Regional Auto Theft Prevention. 

Catalytic converters are devices under vehicles that convert toxic gasses and pollutants into less-toxic pollutants. They have become increased targets for theft because the costs of platinum, palladium and rhodium -- which are used for catalytic converters -- have risen in recent years.

In February, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón called on state legislators to approve a measure requiring auto dealers to engrave vehicle identification numbers on catalytic converters. Moore said that one in five thefts from a vehicle in Los Angeles is a catalytic converter.

CBS2 Investigates: Thieves Strip Nearly 40 Catalytic Converters From City Vehicles In North Hollywood

The devices have also been stolen from city-owned vehicles, including 39 over Christmas weekend, costing taxpayers about $74,000. In March 2021, the city also lost dozens of catalytic converters following a break-in at a city yard in Lincoln Heights, where catalytic converters were stolen from 68 vehicles.