Bloomington makes it illegal to possess undocumented catalytic converters not connected to vehicle

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- A new ordinance in Bloomington makes it a misdemeanor crime to possess a catalytic converter not connected to a vehicle.

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges addressed the new ordinance Monday. He said if someone is found with a catalytic converter and cannot prove it is owned by them, they could be arrested. 

"It's no secret in the suburbs and in the cities we've had a lot of problems with catalytic converter thefts," Hodges said. "In Bloomington, we've seen an uptick."

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Hodges says the Minnesota Legislature should have passed a similar law by now.

"But they haven't. But in Bloomington we're fortunate to have this law," Hodges said. "This is something we're going to take very seriously."

Hodges says if anyone sees someone transporting what look to be stolen catalytic converters, call police.

"We'll try to go ahead and do a vehicle stop on those folks, and if they can't prove they have lawful means to have them, we'll lock them up," Hodges said. 

The Bloomington City Council passed the new ordinance last Monday.