SAN DIEGO — Law enforcement agencies throughout Southern California and in San Diego are cracking down on catalytic converter thefts, which they said remains a persistent problem.
400% increase
Just this week, two men and one teenager were arrested in Carlsbad for stealing catalytic converters. All three were arrested for numerous charges, including grand theft and vandalism.
In Oceanside, police recovered three catalytic converters that led to multiple arrests.
Chris James, Oceanside Police Department Detective, said it's become a big problem.
"t's been roughly a 400% increase in the county in catalytic converter thefts since 2020. This is a huge problem. And it’s not just a huge problem here in the county, but a huge problem throughout the country,” said James.
Push for legislation
The rise in this type of crime has led law enforcement agencies to create what’s known as the Catalytic Converter Initiative. It's a collaborative effort that allows detectives from each department to investigate these crimes.
"We’ve made significant improvements in communication with other agencies throughout the state and even country. However, a lot of things get lost in translation. And when we're all communicating and collaborating and sharing this information and really digesting it, looking at it, we can see the trends and we can identify more suspects and that's kind of what we're doing right now. And why we're having some success right now," said James.
The new initiative helped police in San Diego and Los Angeles Counties track down the criminals they said are responsible for multiple catalytic converter thefts in various cities, including Oceanside, Encinitas and Los Angeles.
The suspects are now facing 23 charges in Oceanside and 29 in Los Angeles. Warrants have been issued for their arrests.
'Crime of opportunity'
James said it’s a crime of opportunity which is why it’s such a major problem for law enforcement.
"It's so appealing because there's very little consequence right now. And then the value of the metals are very appealing to certain suspects once they can extract them. And that's what we're kind of seeing," said James.
How to protect yourself
- To better protect yourself from this crime, police recommend:
- Engraving your vehicle identification number or license plate on your converter
- Parking somewhere with plenty of light or inside a garage, if possible
- Officers highly suggest setting up a home surveillance camera
The Oceanside Police Department will be hosting a free catalytic converter etching event coming up July 23.
WATCH RELATED: Pacific Beach man has catalytic converter stolen from his car in Point Loma twice (March 2022).