Feb 11, 2007

Catalytic converter thefts spreading

Belmont, Millbrae police report spate in recent weeks

By Will Oremus / Daily News Staff Writer

Some motorists in Belmont and Millbrae have been surprised lately when starting up their Toyota trucks or sport utility vehicles.

Both cities have seen an unprecedented spike in catalytic converter thefts in the past two weeks, with thieves sawing the emissions control devices from the undercarriages of vehicles. The result is a deafening roar when the owner starts the engine and often a $1,000 tab at the repair shop.

The vexing trend appears to be spreading from the East Bay, where the city of Berkeley issued a public warning about catalytic converter thefts in October, and San Mateo, which reported a rash of heists in the summer and fall.

Police say the thefts may be driven by record-high prices for platinum and other precious metals contained in catalytic converters. Thieves may sell them to metal recyclers for $100 or more.

After noticing that four of the devices had been stolen in his city since Jan. 23, Millbrae police crime analyst Dave Chetcuti put out a bulletin to neighboring cities last weekend. Belmont police Sgt. Pat Halleran said he had just been puzzling over two new reports of catalytic converter thefts in his city when he saw Chetcuti's notice.

In both cities, the converters had been cut away cleanly, presumably by saws. And in each case, the vehicle was a Toyota truck or SUV.

"Toyotas are higher off the ground, so it's easier to get under them," Chetcuti said.

San Mateo police Lt. Tom Daughtry said all of the thefts reported there last year were also from Toyotas, with older models especially popular because their converters can be easily unbolted instead of sawed.

The owners "don't notice anything is missing until they turn on the car and it's making a really loud noise," Halleran said. He agreed with the theory that the devices are being sold to metal recyclers, adding that local departments have also been tracking a rise in the theft of copper pipes from houses and construction sites.

Chetcuti said it may take regional cooperation to catch the thieves, as most scrap heaps in the area are in the East Bay.

Local police haven't found any trend in the locations of the vehicles. "Some were parked on the street, some in driveways, some in carports," Daughtry said. Most of the thefts appear to have occurred at night.

John Marin, owner of the San Mateo auto repair shop Envirotech Toyota Specialists, said he has seen a couple of customers come in missing catalytic converters in recent months. If they've been sawed off, he said, the owner may have to replace not only the converter but also the header pipe and the muffler.

The book rate for those repairs is nearly $1,200 - far more than the converter's value to a thief. "It's just a shame, really," Marin said.


E-mail Will Oremus at woremus@dailynewsgroup.com.