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Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

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Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#171

Post by mattzito »

catiopatio wrote: post #148
hack_edu wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When did we become so comfortable with the government mandating presentation of papers and tracking of private transactions? After Timothy McVeigh blew up a building with a truck full of agricultural supplies.

How well did that prevent 9/11? The decrease in domestic terrorism is due to societal changes and better old-fashioned policing of home-grown extremist groups. We didn’t somehow make it impossible (or even difficult) to improvise large explosives.

Well, those folks had to spend a few years planning, take flying lessons, dry run everything a few times, and then pull off the most complicated and coordinated terrorist attack in US history.

The actual bomb planning for the Oklahoma City bombing was less than a year and involved two people. So, seems like the bar was raised quite a bit.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#172

Post by adrr »

User23 wrote: post #10
Test0129 wrote: post #4

This 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…

It used to be that back when local cops cared about property crime this was standard operating procedure. When I was a kid if you etched a serial number into your bike frame and parts and registered it with the local PD you were practically assured you’d get your bike back when it inevitably showed up at a pawn shop or similar.

Why was property crime much higher back then? We’re at historic lows.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#173

Post by Melting_Harps »

userbinator wrote: post #91
adrianmonk wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here in Texas, the law does give the right to defend property with deadly force[1]. And lots of people have guns. We are the #1 state on the list of gun ownership[2]. And catalytic converter theft is still very common. We are the #2 state on the list of catalytic converter thefts per 100k automobiles[3]. --- [1] https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.9.htm [2] https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/gun-ownership…

I wonder if that's related in any way to it also relatively common to straight-pipe in Texas.

> I wonder if that's related in any way to it also relatively common to straight-pipe in Texas.

No emissions, low state taxes, low fuel price, and abysmally little to no self awareness about climate change is a better explanation.

FL is still the best way to get around smog stuff in the US because of inherit corruption, you an register anything if you have the money: see Motorex sandal And tis is despite Hawaii being closer to Japan and also not having emissions and regular departures to Long Beach.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#174

Post by linsomniac »

dimitrios1 wrote: post #129
gpm wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

You are really discounting the ingenuity of criminals. If they can steal 4 tires with wheel locks off your car, they can steal your undercarriage battery.

Really? I'm pretty sure I have the tools in my garage to steal 4 wheels with locking nuts. I'm absolutely certain I couldn't steal the battery in my EV without stealing the whole EV. Which has a GPS tracker built into it.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#175

Post by socialismisok »

catiopatio wrote: post #147
socialismisok wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's WAY worse to have to check the provenance of an article for sale than to have your catalytic converter stolen.

Yes, it is. The police can — clearly, as per this article — do their job without yet another intrusive privacy overreach being put permanently on the books.

Don't ever buy art, I guess.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#176

Post by skeeter2020 »

catiopatio wrote: post #132
humanistbot wrote: post #61

Earlier 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…

Ever been to a pawn shop? Everything in a legit operation runs through this process.

>> The choice is between law enforcement actually doing their job, or invasive and ineffectual laws like this.

I'm on guard for overreah all the time, but I'm OK with showing ID to buy alcohol, drive a car, fly on a plane, sell items that should rarely be done in bulk outside of rare conditions, like a bunch of catalytic converters.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#178

Post by scotty79 »

cogman10 wrote: post #101
grecy wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So give the refinery a fine that is 10x their yearly profit, cripple it's leadership and make an "example" out of them. End their business, and make it clear that any metal refinery buying materials that could come from catalytic converters needs to be very, very careful and have extremely good documentation about where it actually comes from. I mean, when you're buying refined precious metal powders from inside the…

DG Auto is a nation wide operation. They aren't sending the contents of the cats over 1 cat at a time. It's not really reasonable to hold the refinery at fault, they were working with another major business dealing in large numbers. DG Auto is the right place to hit because they knew they were getting $38 million dollars of cats from 1 family and an unlicensed business (that family is also getting prosecuted). You wo…

> It's not really reasonable to hold the refinery at fault

Why not? They accepted $500mil of stolen property. It's only fair to take at least as much from them.

"I didn't know" is not an excuse. If you buy stolen car it will be taken away from you. You pay for your mistake and buying stolen goods is a mistake.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#179

Post by lern_too_spel »

PM_me_your_math wrote: post #142
nkrisc wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Property is not worth a life. Not even the life of the person damaging it. Property can be replaced, a life can not. Besides, there’s way too much margin for error in vigilante justice. That’s why we have trials, imperfect as even they may be. They’re certainly better than empowering everyone to be judge, jury, and executioner because they thought you might be committing a property crime.

Nonsense. Thievery will be greatly reduced when the consequences are doubt about your continued existence. Besides, if you continue to steal from people you are hurting them and their family. That has a price and that price should be up to your life.

How do you explain Texas then? Lots of catalytic converter theft and lots of gun ownership. Now you have two problems. You have to worry about somebody stealing from you, and you have to worry about somebody shooting you.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33445252

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#180

Post by oblib »

TheLoafOfBread wrote: post #112
oblib wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to license the buyers and make them account for every lb they recycle by having the serial numbers to compare it. They would have to submit those number as soon as the buy one. If the converter doesn't have one they can't buy it, and setting up stings for that would be pretty easy.

So they will just start selling those converters abroad. Toothless

Well, it starts locally. A meth head stealing a converter isn't going very far to sell it. Odds are most are sold to junkyards that sell them to a larger recycler that processes the PGMs.

I think it's a bit of a stretch to assume that entire illegal market could move offshore without a trace.

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