2 arrested in middle of attempting to steal catalytic converter

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. -- Law enforcement leaders say catalytic converter thefts continue to be a major problem across the Twin Cities.

Early Friday morning, Brooklyn Park Police say they arrested two more men who were in the process of stealing a catalytic converter in a business park. 

"They were actually cutting the catalytic converters off when the officers rolled up," said Inspector Elliot Faust.

Faust said the two men were taken into custody and could face multiple felony charges. He said it's another example of a concerning trend.  

So far this year in Brooklyn Park there have been 305 cases of catalytic converter thefts, compared to 250 at this time last year, and 130 the year before.

"We recognized this early on that it was becoming a big problem. It was a hard one for us to solve because these thieves can steal these catalytic converters in under a minute," said Faust.

Brooklyn Park even assigned a full-time detective to investigate these crimes. They learned that there's no specific pattern, and the stolen converters aren't being sold locally. They believe criminal gangs are behind the operation.

"A lot of these are going overseas. The raw materials after they are broken down are going overseas," said Faust. "There's a huge ring operating right now and there's a lot of law enforcement resources going into it."

But there are ways people can protect their vehicles, including a program called CatGuard.

It's a recently-created program where a sticker and a layer of acid is used to etch numbers into the converter. Even if the sticker is removed information about who the catalytic converter belongs to, remains.

"The last time we checked, everyone who had CatGuard or who at least had a marking on their catalytic converter, none of those people had theirs stolen," said Faust.

During the attempted theft Friday morning, the vehicle owner had actually put a welded cage around the converter that was giving the would-be thieves problems.

"I have faith that they are on the right track for that and hopefully we can start to get a handle on this problem before it gets even worse," said Faust.

Faust vehicles that are higher off the ground like Toyota Tundras and Prius and Honda CRVs are common targets of thieves. 

On Thursday, John Harrington, the commissioner of public safety, said he's hoping to work with lawmakers to develop harsher penalties for people caught stealing catalytic converters.