Catalytic converters being stolen around Greencastle

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Catalytic converters are supposed to protect your vehicle and the environment from harmful emissions.

But apparently nobody is protecting catalytic converters, which are being stolen at an alarming rate around Greencastle in recent nights, City Police reported Friday.

During the overnight period from 8 p.m. Wednesday through 8 a.m. Thursday, four separate incidents of catalytic converter thefts were reported to Greencastle City Police.

"Four have been reported so far," a police spokesman said.

Catalytic converters, which contain precious metals that can be resold, were taken from vehicles parked on Paddock Court (Round Barn Manor Apartments), at Castlebury and Canterbury apartments and at the International Automotive Components (IAC) factory parking lot along Fillmore Road.

Victims generally know as soon as they start their vehicle that someone has absconded with the converter.

"There's a definite loudness when they start up their car or truck," a City Police spokesman told the Banner Graphic.

Reportedly the removal of a converter takes only a matter of minutes or less, authorities said, cautioning residents to be aware of where they park their vehicles, particularly overnight.

"Thieves are using some kind of special tool (possibly a battery-powered saw)," a City Police spokesman noted, "because they have all been taken off with a clean cut."

Individual losses are estimated from $700-$1,500, which includes the price of a replacement part and other parts necessary to reattach the device to the muffler system along with the cost of labor.

Police say thieves are not interested in the actual part, but what is inside. Thieves steal the converters and take them to scrapyards to benefit from the metals.

Catalytic converters are designed to reduce pollution-causing emissions. Since 1975, all vehicles produced in the U.S. must include a catalytic converter as part of the exhaust system.

Precious metals inside the converter act as catalysts, and when hot exhaust enters the chamber, a chemical reaction renders toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, into less harmful emissions.;Thieves reportedly look for vehicles that sit high off the ground, such as trucks, pick-ups and SUVs. They are particularly vulnerable to catalytic converter theft because thieves can slide underneath without having to jack up the vehicle to gain access to the converter.

Comments
View 5 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Do any of you writers find out the truth before you write an article??

    Rhodium was selling for $1,150 an ounce when you wrote this article, not $9,500.

    Platinum was selling for $1,559 an ounce, not $2,000.

    Palladium is also used in some catalytic converters. You failed to mention this in your article.

    Palladium was selling for $683 an ounce.

    People who read the newspaper expect the writers to know what they are talking about.

    But, the Banner Graphic is legendary for its mistakes such as bad spelling, poor syntax, and not publishing facts that anyone with a computer can find out.

    -- Posted by donantonioelsabio on Sun, Jan 6, 2013, at 4:25 PM
    Response by Eric Bernsee:
    Published numbers came from an insurance company's website.
  • Published numbers came from kitco.com

    Rhodium does not sell for $9,500 an ounce.

    -- Posted by donantonioelsabio on Sun, Jan 6, 2013, at 9:54 PM
  • $500 or $5000 doesn't matter! The fact is that people need to be more aware of where they park!

    Hey Donatello .. calm down. (Yeah, I know that's not the proper spelling.)

    -- Posted by Emmes on Mon, Jan 7, 2013, at 11:19 AM
  • I guess that Emmes qualifies for editor of the Banner Graphic. She/he doesn't care about the facts only a form of hysteria logic.

    Maybe the owners of the vehicles being robbed should let the air out of their tires so the thieves can't get under the cars and take the catalytic converters. Or maybe parking lots should be banned to stop this horrific crime.

    -- Posted by donantonioelsabio on Mon, Jan 7, 2013, at 10:07 PM
  • Happy Birthday?

    -- Posted by justanothervoice on Tue, Jan 8, 2013, at 1:03 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: