Mine was stolen last week! And I was just about to sell the car. Now it’s 3-4 months before the replacement comes, and $500 deductible.
Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
131–140 of 487 posts
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#132This is happening more and more frequently in my locale. Several of my friends and many of my neighbors have had their catalytic converters stolen. It's good to see something is done. Let's hope this steamrolls into a nationwide manhunt for these criminals. They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful b…
> They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful because they aren't sold and reused as is California just passed a law to this end, which is pretty straightforward and effectively turns the grey market into a black market. A black market will still exist, but it will be a lot harder for legitimate junkya…
> It basically mandates KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures for companies that buy or sell catalytic converters, and it makes buying or selling a catalytic converter without documentation that it was obtained legally a crime.
This is worse than the original problem. When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions?
Effective, privacy-preserving law enforcement is difficult.
That doesn’t mean we should cut corners through ever-increasing state oversight targeted at the latest symptoms of criminality.
The choice isn’t between laws like this and having your catalytic converter stolen. The choice is between law enforcement actually doing their job, or invasive and ineffectual laws like this.
The justice department, in the very article we’re discussing, investigated and took down this ring without California’s new “KYC” regulations.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because that's not what happens with stolen catalytic converters, so it wouldn't change anything. Stolen cathalytic converters are valuable due to precious metals that can be extracted from them.
We currently successfully regulate freon emissions. How do we do that? It surprises me that it's possible but it seems to work.
Probably has to do with not being able to earn a few hundred dollars in a few minutes with the education of how to use a simple cutting tool from Home Depot.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
Batteries will get stolen for same reason.
I doubt it. Catalytic converters are stolen because they're valuable and easy to make off with . Car batteries are frickin giant, and if you try and take only a piece you get a giant fire instead of a valuable source of rare metals. They don't seem like a great thing to steal.
Agreed. It’s thirty seconds with a battery powered reciprocating saw to remove a cat which is also light enough to be carried by one person. There’s no way EV batteries could be accessed and transported away so quickly.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm curious where you live that they don't still care tbh. In my experience police do what they're allowed that will be effective. But if you have a DA who refuses to prosecute people or you pass local laws that make doing their job in a manner that gets results impossible then they tend not to waste their time.
If the DA doesn’t care, the cop doesn’t care.
The trick is that the cops can stop caring and everyone will blame the DA; it's similar to how voters always think "crime" is increasing recently no matter the actual statistics or how safe the area they live in is.
American police are similar to a permanent paramilitary class like Janissaries or samurai. The local governments don't actually control them and as a civilian encountering them means they may kill you for honor violations.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
Only thing that will help is serious prison sentences and the right to defend property with deadly force. Many areas of the country there is no consequences.
Why is catalytic converter theft seemingly worse in the US/UK than in Europe/AU/NZ? I think the problem is underlying societal collapse rather than consequences.
Hypothesis: The "war on drugs" and rampant poverty with minimal to no social safety nets.
America is brutal on its poor. I know cause I grew up on food stamps and expired meat in Chemical Valley during the height of Dupont's C8 dumping.
People are soul crushingly desperate, but many don't even know it doesn't have to be this bad.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#137I think taking down the buyers is a the best tool we have right now for this issue. And there are things we could do to make that easier, like putting a serial number on the converter on new cars and replacement parts. Requiring the make, model, and serial number of the car it was removed from, and a web site with a DB that has the ID number of cars they've been stolen from so buyers could check it. Make those who bu…
That's one of the things an auto shop can do for you. You don't need a new serial number or database; your VIN is good enough. But of course a thief can grind that off.
The other one is welding on the converter. It doesn't make it unstealable; but it's just not a quickie extraction anymore.
If your question is (as it should be), "What about legitimately fixing the converter? Can you still do that?" , I don't know.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#138Earlier quoted context omitted.
> They should also consider targeting and auditing shops that buy used car parts. Making it extremely difficult to fence these things will be practical and useful because they aren't sold and reused as is California just passed a law to this end, which is pretty straightforward and effectively turns the grey market into a black market. A black market will still exist, but it will be a lot harder for legitimate junkya…
> It basically mandates KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures for companies that buy or sell catalytic converters, and it makes buying or selling a catalytic converter without documentation that it was obtained legally a crime. This is worse than the original problem. When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions? Effective, privacy-preservin…
Yeah, it's WAY worse to have to check the provenance of an article for sale than to have your catalytic converter stolen.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm curious where you live that they don't still care tbh. In my experience police do what they're allowed that will be effective. But if you have a DA who refuses to prosecute people or you pass local laws that make doing their job in a manner that gets results impossible then they tend not to waste their time.
Where I live they don't even send police for non-injury accidents anymore. Even if there's a hit and run no police get sent. Property crimes don't matter anymore. When my friends got their catalytic converters stolen the police never even bothered to show up. Taking statements may not get their cats back, but it goes towards building up a large enough case to justify a unit to handle it. You are correct though. Our D…
SF recalled their supposedly "not hard on crime" DA, mostly because he offended the local Asian voters, but the new supposedly "hard on crime" DA in practice doesn't seem to be having much effect. Similarly Chesa didn't oversee Oakland or any other nearby areas but I've still seen people who live there blame things on him.
People generally have no idea how much crime there is. If you asked most people which of NYC and Oklahoma is safer they'd get it wrong whether or not they lived there.
Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
Move out of the city. Many rural areas don't require emissions testing, so there's no way to stop people from omitting them. Beware noise ordinances, though.
As someone who lives in a rural area I and most of those who live in such places around here tend to frown on that sort of thing. We put a high very value on our clean air.
until it’s time to roll coal.