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Catalytic converter thefts slow in Minnesota
A law that took effect in 2023 to slow the theft of catalytic converters is having a dramatic effect in only a few short years. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the details.
EAGAN, Minn. (FOX 9) - Catalytic converter thefts once plagued neighborhoods, but a new law has changed the game for police and car owners.
How catalytic converter thefts used to happen
What we know:
Thieves could steal a catalytic converter in just one to two minutes, often without drawing attention, said Salim Omari, chief of the Eagan Police Department.
"To get underneath a vehicle pretty inconspicuously and with an appropriate saw, [they] could get those off of their cars in one to two minutes and be out of the neighborhood fairly quickly," Omari told FOX 9.
Catalytic converters help control car emissions by turning toxic gases into less harmful substances.
Thieves targeted them for the valuable metals inside, which could be sold to scrapyards, said Trevor Hamdorf, New Brighton deputy director of public safety.
"Inside the catalytic converter there are metals, and they would then bring some of the metals in and then sell the catalytic converters to the scrapyards and the scrapyard would then be able to extract the metals," said Hamdorf.
Thefts were especially common in 2021 and 2022, when it was relatively easy to sell stolen converters.
Police spent years on prevention and investigation, including using bait cars in Eagan to catch thieves.
A new law brings big changes
Why you should care:
A bill passed in 2023 made it much harder to sell catalytic converters unless they were clearly linked to a specific car.
Scrap metal dealers who buy them illegally now face at least a misdemeanor charge and possibly a felony.
The law took effect on Aug. 1, 2023, and thefts in New Brighton and Eagan dropped by 95% immediately.
Police say it is rare for a law to have such an immediate and dramatic impact.
"The only other one I can think of is the pseudoephedrine law back when they put that behind the counters. That was pretty effective in addressing some of the mobile meth labs that were occurring," said Hamdorf.
With the drop in thefts, police have shifted resources back to traditional investigations and patrols.
"I'm very grateful that we can allocate those resources to what our community really needs today," said Omari.
Some agencies saw a brief uptick in thefts late last year or early this year, but that trend has slowed again. Investigators remain on alert, since not every state has similar laws, and some thieves still see an opportunity.
What we don't know:
It’s unclear whether more states will adopt similar measures to Minnesota, but according to insurance carrier claims data, California, New York, Illinois, Texas, and Florida have the highest rate of catalytic converter thefts even after adopting less strict laws to curb the crime.