The Irvine Police Department (IPD) will host an Etch and Catch event on November 06, 2021, to aid in preventing the theft of local catalytic converters. As per IPD spokesperson Karie Davies, Irvine now has twenty times more converter thefts as compared to the 5-year average.
Davies told Irvine Weekly that the thefts from the start of 2021 to now are around eighteen times higher as compared to the average of the same period. Several things factor in the crime, but Davies stated that efficiency, speed and a rate of over $1,000 cause catalytic converters to be an easy target for thieves.
As for Davies, those thieves could get as much as $1,200 for each catalytic converter, with some models. Several carmakers produce catalytic converters with precious metals; thieves know the amounts of money they could receive, so they look for those forms of cars. Thieves could detach the converter in just a few seconds with reciprocating saws and jacks.
Etch and Catch is an appointment-based event in Irvine and recommended for people who own cars, including Honda Element, Honda Accord and Toyota Prius. IPD suggests that thieves target the above-mentioned cars to a large extent.
The term catalytic converter refers to a part of an automobile’s emission system, and it reduces the level of pollution that the exhaust releases. Partnering with the car dealerships of Irvine Auto Center, the event in Irvine will work in the form of a crime deterrent and help with the recovery following the theft.
In the event, automobile technicians plan to etch the car’s license number and vehicle identification numbers into its catalytic converter. Besides the event, Irvine city works to pass a measure that would illegalize the act of possessing the converter with no proper documentation.
There will be a vote during the second reading of the Irvine City Council’s meeting on the measure. This measure makes the converter possession punishable by possibly one-year-long incarceration and $500 as a fine.
In September 2021, IPD arrested suspects in a catalytic converter theft attempt, after one of the locals alerted authorities.
Davies stated that, therefore, it is a must to have the new legislation in the city that would let IPD do something as its officers encounter somebody who possesses the converter(s) with no proof of purchase or paperwork.
You can find appointments for this event on the SignUpGenius website.
