Catalytic converters stolen from more than 100 LAUSD buses since January

Los Angeles Unified school buses have become an enticing target for catalytic converter thieves, and at least some people believe it's due to budget cuts that thinned the ranks of the Los Angeles School police. 

Since January, catalytic converters have been stolen from 160 buses at LAUSD garages all over the city. The thefts have cost the district $581,000 so far, which doesn't include the costs of finding other buses and paying for other drivers.

The thefts have also impacted student education – if a bus driver shows up to drive a bus that turns out to be broken, there's no other option than to cancel the route. Getting a bus back up and running after its catalytic converter has been stolen takes up to four weeks, and the lag time has also impacted the district's ability to transport students to sporting events.

Before 2021, there were 510 officers with the Los Angeles School police. The district cut 133 positions since then, a 26% decrease – and severely hampering the LA School police's ability to patrol their own bus yards after midnight.

"You made a soft target even softer," said Joseph Ivankay, who worked with the LA School police for 28 years. He was a supervisor on the graveyard shift when threats against schools often came in.

"We would investigate those all night," he said. "We don't have the ability to do that anymore because we don't have officers at night anymore."

The district is currently negotiating its labor contact with United Teachers LA, which wants to keep officers off campus. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho says he plans to release a budget soon that will include enhancing school security.