King County sees dramatic spike in catalytic converter thefts

SEATTLE — Authorities are seeing a dramatic increase in catalytic converter thefts all across King County and the Greater Seattle area.

But with few arrests, it's also becoming one of the most difficult crimes to solve.

The King County Sheriff’s office provided us with surveillance video showing an alleged crook, removing a catalytic converter in less than 10 seconds.

Investigators say a similar crime happened in a car lot at the Chevy dealership in Burien. And at nearby Toyota, manager Tom Maggerise said he’s now seeing more customers asking for help replacing this vital component needed in cars and trucks to help filter dangerous fumes.

“They’re coming in like two to three times a week,” Maggerise said.

Police say catalytic converter thefts are surging.

“I am struggling to recall anytime we saw a trend come on so quickly,” says Sgt. Tim Meyer with the King County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2019 there were only 13 catalytic converter thefts in Seattle. But in 2020, more than 700. And this unusual trend is also playing out in many other communities.

“It’s almost as if one day we had no catalytic converter thefts and now we are seeing bulletins and cases coming in at a pace I have never seen for any other commodity,” Meyer said.

The numbers are off the charts and climbing on the Eastside, especially in Bellevue. The community saw one catalytic converter theft in 2019, but 62 in 2020.

"These are very difficult crimes to get in front of in terms of prevention," said Captain David Sanabria with Bellevue Police. "These are crimes of opportunity."

Joe Munchel buys and sells precious metals at Bellevue Rare Coins. He said the thieves really don’t care about this auto parts.

“Really it’s the demand for the metals,” said Munchel -- demand for these so called rare earth minerals found inside, such as platinum, paladium and rhodium -- with the latter now worth more than the price of gold.

“And that’s the main driver there, being able to physically get the product,” Munchel said.

Industry watchers say the global demand is being fueled by China’s booming manufacturing economy.

Washington state has strict laws and licensing requirements for buying scrap metal like copper and catalytic converters.

“So there has to be some coordination between those that are stealing and those that are buying,” Meyer said.

With very few arrests in these cases, law enforcement agencies are now scrutinizing area scrap yards, hoping to catch someone in the act.

" 'Cause if you steal a catalytic converter, you have to convert it to cash. Again that’s going to be done through an unscrupulous buyer, scrap dealer, or someone like that,” Meyer said.

In a Bellevue church parking lot, Susie Bogen said her van experienced an unholy encounter with a thief.

“There was evidence with a hacksaw blade underneath,” Bogen said.

She says three catalytic converters were stolen off a van she uses to make deliveries to a food bank.

“There must be a market for catalytic converters. Someone’s buying them obviously," Bogen said.

At scrap yards like Calbag in Tacoma, operations manager Jon Temple said they paying a premium.

“I paid 480 I’ll probably make 10 percent,” Temple said.

To the untrained eye, catalytic converters could be mistaken for useless slabs of metal. But this important vehicle part used to filter out toxic fumes houses so called rare earth minerals inside like platinum, palladium, and rhodium, commanding big time prices on the secondary market leading to the rise of some questionable transactions.

Sellers at Calbag have to go through a rigorous process showing id’s and a legitimate paper trail, otherwise they’re turned away.

”The guy who came in yesterday, had a do not buy from Auburn PD,” Temple said.

And his company continues to work with local law enforcement agencies, monitoring scrap yards. Police said it’s hard to make arrests in catalytic converter thefts because it happens so quickly, like a car prowl. But when thieves are busted, like in this recent Burien traffic stop, Sgt. Tim Meyer with the King County Sheriff’s office said they found stolen catalytic converters and evidence linked to other crimes.

“They were able to execute a search warrant on it, about a week later, recover about 100 fentanyl pills, 7 grams of methamphetamines, and a 45 caliber hand gun,” Meyer said.

The latest surge in catalytic converter thefts is also getting the attention of Democratic State Representative Roger Goodman, Chair of the Public Safety Committee.

“We really have strictly regulated the scrap yards here,” Goodman said.

Several years ago, he crafted a bill regulating scrap yards to fend off copper thieves. But Goodman said this time around, it’s different.

“I suspect perhaps these catalytic converters are being loaded and concealed in containers and then sent straight over to China.

Goodman said China is primarily fueling this global demand for rare earth minerals. So he said the Port of Seattle also deserves extra scrutiny.

“If this epidemic in catalytic converter thefts continues to grow, we are going to need help from federal authorities, the FBI, in coordination with local law enforcement,” Goodman said.

Until then, Kyle Bryant at Lens Automotive said there are several ways to protect cars and trucks.

“ Some guys are putting a chain, maybe you can weld a chain maybe to the frame and it will slow em down,” Bryant said.

His customers have the option to order catalytic converter protection covers as another line of defense.

“If you can park inside, in a garage or secured area that’s your best option,” Bryant said.

Bogen said that’s her best option to fight back.

“I cannot afford to have this happen again,” Bogen said.