Catalytic Converter Thefts on Rise Nationwide

Opportunistic thieves are taking advantage of law enforcement agencies nationwide being too busy combating a rise in violent crimes to pay attention to smash and grabs from high-end luxury stores and the rising trend of catalytic converters being sawed right off cars.

Catalytic converters transform hazardous pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants. But as the practice spreads nationwide, more and more people are starting their cars in the morning only to hear a strange sound that means carjackers have boosted their converter to cash in on the valuable metals the device is made of.