CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Those in law enforcement are hoping a new state law will help to curb the steady rise in catalytic converter thefts in our area.
House Bill 2372 went into effect on Saturday, July 1, along with more than 800 other new laws. HB 2372 is intended to respond to the high number of thefts of important car parts that people here in Virginia and across the country have been seeing over the last couple of years.
As of July 1, anyone who is found in possession of a catalytic converter and doesn’t either have proof of where it came from or of who sold it to them could be charged with a class 6 felony and face anywhere from one to five years in prison.
The law exempts mechanics, garage workers or anyone in the auto repair industry licensed with the Commonwealth.
Malcom Parker, the store manager of the Napa Autocare Center on Cloverleaf in Chesterfield, said his store has been a target of multiple thefts and says that he thinks the incidents were crimes of opportunity.
“I want to say that the store has gotten a couple of vehicles here that have been hit. But that’s also the area. So, when you got a junkyard down the street you are going to typically do a crime closer to where you can benefit from it,” said Parker.
The reason catalytic converters are so sought after is that the precious metals on the inside can be sold for money. A person can make anywhere from $50 to $1,000 if multiple car parts are sold at once.
“So, I know I can sell this for a little over $550, but this is also aftermarket,” said Parker as he pointed to a catalytic converter. “So, your original one that was on the car, the insides could be worth more than that.”
Parker says that after their cars were hit, they went on the defensive and tried to take precautions to better protect their vehicles.
“So, we put alarms on our cars, so it turns out those alarms couldn’t hold up to the heat. So, it never worked, but it was a good idea,” he explained. “And there are some on Amazon, another catalytic converter alarm that’s supposed to keep you safe and it’ll go off and blare like an alarm.”
Parker hopes that the new law will help to reduce the number of stolen converters, but also says people will always do what they want in the end.
“If you are going to steal, you are going to steal. I mean, there is nothing you can do about a thief, so it does not matter what the law says,” said Parker. “If it says I could go to jail for 100 years for stealing your converter guess what? If I am hungry enough, I’m going to steal your converter.”
According to Parker, replacing a catalytic converter could cost hundreds of dollars or more. He also said that catalytic converter etching or any physical method of protection will help to keep your car in one piece.
