Roseville Police Marking Catalytic Converters In Effort To Deter Thefts
ROSEVILLE (CBS13) - Roseville auto businesses are teaming up with police in trying to curb the thefts of catalytic converters.
Thieves take pipe cutters and it's quick and easy to steal the parts. They can do it in about two minutes.
"You just feel very victimized," said Dominic Campanelli, the parts and service director for Roseville Toyota. "It's awful. It's a big inconvenience for them."
Thieves can sell catalytic converters and sell them for about $50, but it costs the car owner thousands to replace the part.
Roseville police are teaming up with businesses to spray paint and etch license plate numbers into the converters for free. They hope it'll also be a deterrent for thieves.
"Hopefully if people see orange-painted catalytic converters etched, they won't steal it," said Police Chief Daniel Hahn.
Vehicles high off the ground are usually targeted because it's easy for thieves to crawl underneath. But even if you never have to replace the part, it could still cost you.
"It costs all of us money because insurance rates go up because of it," Campanelli said.
There were 300 reported catalytic converter thefts in Roseville last year.
