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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

#431

Post by nkrisc »

friend_and_foe wrote: post #87
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.

If it's not worth your life then don't steal it.

Then perhaps the punishment for every crime and infraction should be summary execution. Blow a stop sign? Execution. Over the speed limit? Execution. Stole an apple from the grocery store? Execution. Sounds like a perfect society?

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#432

Post by nkrisc »

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.

Just what we need: vigilante justice. Because we know no one ever makes a mistake.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-father-son-shoo...

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#433

Post by bombcar »

bmj wrote: post #427
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>CA added new machines to testing that report every test to try to slow this down but every mechanic knows where to find the old machines that can run tests without reporting. >They just want to get you on the road and they’re damn good about it Don't worry, the east coast has a solution for this harmonious alignment of business and customer incentives: 'safety' inspections I took the training back when I lived in MA…

Something deeply ironic about emissions inspections in my state: my diesel VW is exempt from them. Some shops might do a cursory look to be sure you haven't deleted the particulate filter or the catalytic converter, but, really, most just make sure there is a pipe running from the exhaust manifold to the rear of the vehicle. Last summer, I accompanied my son when he went across the state line to purchase a truck from…

The emissions inspections things were important during the late 70s-80s when they were really badly done on the American cars (you could disconnect the "smog pump" and get a better running engine). This is where the diesel exemption came from - trucks had nothing much at all (and I don't think they started adding cats for quite awhile, as dirty diesel (non-low-sulfur) was very common and would kill a cat faster than curiosity).

Nowadays the real emission inspection is the computer in the car itself, continually monitoring and tracking what is going on.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#434

Post by doodlebugging »

aidenn0 wrote: post #329
doodlebugging wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder what the difference between the OEM converter from 1992 and the replacement from 2007 would be. The OEM converter is easily twice as large but the replacement is certified 50 state compliant and CARB approved from a manufacturer in California. I guess the technology improved or the ceramic composition changed.

Ford bet big on palladium in the 90s, so any Ford cat from an engine introduced before ~2002 is likely to have a relatively large amount of palladium in it. Some of their larger trucks have nearly 1/2 an oz, which was worth about $40 in 1992 and nearly $700 today (there was a palladium shortage during COVID and palladium briefly was over $3k/oz). My Ford was federally licensed rather than CARB, so I'm required to rep…

Wow. I should see whether there is a way to determine how much this catalytic converter is worth before selling it off to the scrapyard so I don't get ripped off.

If there is no ETA on when a new converter for your vehicle will be available are you not able to drive the vehicle at all? Is there no temporary option that can make it road-legal until the replacement arrives?

It seems like an exception should be federally issued for those caught up in this who have lost use of their vehicle. Dealers should be allowed to install a suitable replacement, non-OEM unit until an OEM is available. A note can be placed on the VIN with the state registrar that it has a temporary part so that it can be registered. I'd bet that if you did that and most vehicles showed to pass emissions with non-OEM parts in place that there would be a push to allow replacement with non-OEM parts.

Good luck.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#435

Post by tptacek »

WalterBright wrote: post #354
tptacek wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because the allergy medicine might as well just be methamphetamine. That's really more or less what it is, modulo a reduction step. Nobody cares about your allergies, and if you go to buy Sudafed, they're just going to sell it to you. The only thing that will trip you up is if you go from store to store collecting lots of it.

And yet this has had no effect on the meth epidemic.

We also have an out-of-control opiate problem, but you can't buy codeine over the counter in the US.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#436

Post by Fatnino »

adamj9431 wrote: post #429
Fatnino wrote: post #402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding ID for flying... I took a flight today. I had to show my ID once at the start of the security line where they did NOT check my boarding pass. Then at the gate they only wanted to see my boarding pass and not my ID. So basically nobody actually cares about ID when flying. It would have been trivial to buy the ticket in a false name or "borrow" someone else's name without asking. To be clear, this failing is…

This new procedure and equipment is partially rolled out at TSA checkpoints across the US, has been for a couple of years now. The agent's computer shows the flight information. No reason to have an extra step to scan a boarding pass since the computer pulls it all up anyways. To get through TSA as a member of the general public, you have to have a ticket (or a non-traveler gate pass) in your real name (matching your…

Now you aren't being tracked.

Say you've done a crime that will be discovered in a few days. You buy a ticket to Detroit and next week the fbi will be wasting its time looking for you in Michigan and trying to convince Canada to search for you in Ontario.

In reality you hopped on a flight to El Paso under a fake name and you are deep into Mexico by now.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#437

Post by TheHypnotist »

willcipriano wrote: post #415
joenot443 wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it seriously your working model of police that they’re frequently given lists of people who download apps and instructed to kill them? That’s how you believe policing works? I know the BLM astroturfing had a profound effect on the rest of the internet, but it’s disappointing to see such a skewed version of reality presented here on HN. I just downloaded the app. Bring on the marauders. If they end up blasting me,…

The FBI was recently kicking in journalists doors because they had seen, not stolen or even published, Bidens daughter's diary. If somebody in power wants to make a name for themselves by starting a "war on cat thieves" or similar you may face the same treatment.

"Journalists" meaning Project Veritas well known for edited videos and a failed attempt to sting a major media outlet.

The people that were arrested accepted money from PV for the stolen property.

Nice try.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#438

Post by seanmcdirmid »

vkou wrote: post #309
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

She gave up on some of the backlog because the evidence was stale and there were bigger fish to fry. It’s not “giving up” rather declaring bankruptcy so you can focus on more current and serious crimes. This is what happens when you are passed a 3 year backlog from your predecessor.

> She gave up on some of the backlog because the evidence was stale and there were bigger fish to fry. She attacked that exact same line of reasoning when running for election. Unsurprisingly, once actually elected, as everyone had said all along, it turned out to be the only way to go forward. And, of course, the promised reductions in crime are, well, not exactly in any hurry to materialize. On the one hand, it's a…

> She attacked that exact same line of reasoning when running for election.

NTK was a nutter who wanted to stop all prosecution in the city. Ann Davison was a tough on crime realist. Huge difference.

You might be referring to the incumbent who didn't make it through the open primary, but he got us into this mess in the first place. No one was going to give him another shot.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#439

Post by themitigating »

TheLoafOfBread wrote: post #384
themitigating wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A tesla model 3 battery weighs over 1000lbs

They are able to lift whole car in a daylight to steal a catalytic converter. 500kg battery is nothing.

Let's say you get the battery out by unbolting it in a short amount of time. You'd have to let it drop onto something to then remove it from the car. In one video a person used 2x4s then pulled it out with another vehicle.

Now what? How do you get it into another vehicle to transport? There's no place for a small crane to attach to. You would need some sort of hydraulic lift that would be similar to a pallet jack. Once it's up you then need to move it onto the truck which would be difficult. Maybe you can drag it on the back of a truck using a pickup bed mounted winch.

Finally what do you do with it? It's nearly impossible to remove the individual cells, they are incased in some sort of protective foam that you have to chisel out. Sell the entire thing? Tesla will know the battery is stolen, car reads the serial number, bam, back to you.

Not to mention how large it is, how many could you do in one night?

More importantly why did you make your post? Do you have EVs so much that anytime even a slight advantage comes along you have to dispute it? Maybe you just like to argue. It's just really weird.

Re: Justice Department announces takedown of catalytic converter theft ring

#440

Post by aidenn0 »

doodlebugging wrote: post #434
aidenn0 wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ford bet big on palladium in the 90s, so any Ford cat from an engine introduced before ~2002 is likely to have a relatively large amount of palladium in it. Some of their larger trucks have nearly 1/2 an oz, which was worth about $40 in 1992 and nearly $700 today (there was a palladium shortage during COVID and palladium briefly was over $3k/oz). My Ford was federally licensed rather than CARB, so I'm required to rep…

Wow. I should see whether there is a way to determine how much this catalytic converter is worth before selling it off to the scrapyard so I don't get ripped off. If there is no ETA on when a new converter for your vehicle will be available are you not able to drive the vehicle at all? Is there no temporary option that can make it road-legal until the replacement arrives? It seems like an exception should be federall…

Indeed, I can't (legally) drive it at all. The registration has expired and it is due for a smog check, which automatically fails with no cat.

Mine is an E450; There are a several companies that make an after-market cat for an E350 with the same engine. I contacted them and got roughly the same response from each:

> Unfortunately we do not have a catalytic converter for your vehicle. Although it may seem that the vehicles are similar, in reality they could be completely different when it comes to emissions. We've seen some cars that are the same year, same make, and even engine size, that use completely different catalytic converters. It has to do with the manufacturer and which emissions tier they are registering that vehicle for. That being said, although the E-350 maybe similar to the E-450, in reality the converters and emissions level could be completely different and that's probably why we don't have the certification for it. Sorry I couldn't help you out. Take care.

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