Local business fed up with catalytic converter thefts, fighting for legal changes
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Catalytic converter theft is on the rise across the country, and North Texas is no stranger to the crime.
But imagine getting hit over, and over, and over again.
Unfortunately, it's a reality for A-Affordable Storage, whose manager says thieves are just taking advantage of the opportunity.
Manager John Hall said they're past the point of frustration.
"They look at this as money, and this is their big shopping mall for catalytic converters," Hall said.
Their 17 locations across the DFW Metroplex have been targeted a dozen times this year.
Usually, thieves take about three to five at a time, but at one facility, 17 were stolen at once. Sometimes, they'll even steal them in broad daylight with security cameras recording.
"I can't believe how bold these people were," Hall said.
Heightened more so by the pandemic and the economy, Hall believes thieves are looking for a quick way to make a buck.
"Every time we talk to the sheriff's department, they are overwhelmed," he said.
Since their facilities are located across the metroplex and the state, they are dealing with multiple different sheriff's departments—of which are all seeing the same trends.
"I have actually asked every sheriff that I have spoken with, 'What can we do better?' and they say, 'We don't know,'" Hall explained.
They've added around-the-clock security monitoring, as well as cameras and new gate technology. They have also reminded their customers to use cages for their own peace of mind.
"We try to make it as hard as we possibly can to stop the criminals but they always seem to be one step ahead of and try and find a way to get into the facilities," Hall said. "You're throwing up your hands saying, 'What do we do? What do we do to try and stop all of this?'"
In total, A-Affordable Storage has had about 75 converters stolen this year.
Hall said police have identified a suspect in one of their cases, and have made an arrest in another. However, there's still a lot more investigating to be done.
Amid the thefts, Texas passed a law that a person has to have identification that matches their vehicle to sell their catalytic converter, and if you sell or buy illegally—it's a felony.
Other states are taking it a step further, stating it has to be attached to the vehicle before it can be sold.
Hall and the rest of the A-Affordable Storage team say they wish Texas would enact that law, but plan to continue fighting the thefts in the meantime.