By Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
An operation by six area law enforcement agencies to address an uptick in car part thefts and educate local businesses on new laws led to the unrelated arrests of eight people last week.
The goal of the two-day operation was to observe and audit local metal recycling centers in connection to a rise in thefts of catalytic converters, an exhaust emission control device that makes the harmful compounds in a car’s exhaust gasses non-harmful. The car part is prized for its precious metals, such as gold, copper, palladium, platinum and rhodium, and can be sold for thousands of dollars.
Since 2019, catalytic converter theft has increased in the United States, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office news release. About 150 converter thefts were reported last year alone throughout the county.
During the course of the operation, officers monitored 11 recycling centers across Johnson County to see who was going to the centers seeking to sell catalytic converters or other metals. On the first day, 31 vehicles of interest were identified as conducting business, and 14 of those vehicles were stopped for traffic violations, Burgess said in the news release. The stops led to eight arrests for driving violations, narcotics and active warrants, he said.
On the second day of the operation, officers visited five businesses to audit transactions and inform them of new requirements for the purchasing of converters. Under Indiana law, businesses are required to allow police to enter and inspect catalytic converter sales records, according to the news release.
Police hoped to better educate and build relationships with the metal recycling centers through the investigation. All of the businesses involved cooperated with law enforcement throughout the process, Burgess said.
Through the operation, police discovered people are travelling from all over Indiana and across state lines to sell catalytic converters in Johnson County. In a single day, there were 203 catalytic converter transactions across the county, a staggering number, which is why police want to get it under control, he said.
”It’s not the legitimate business owner who is bringing in 15 converters at a time that’s a concern. It is the individual bringing in one converter,” Burgess said. “These are the situations where the part was likely stolen from a vehicle.”
Last year, Burgess had detectives speak with State Sen. Jack Sandlin, R-Indianapolis, about the rise in catalytic converter thefts. After meeting with Sandlin, the detectives met with Johnson County Prosecutor Joe Villanueva about potential changes to related laws, according to the news release.
The information provided was used to create Senate Bill 167, which passed and took effect July 1, making it more difficult for thieves to sell the devices. Law enforcement in other states have taken similar actions, and some numbers indicate a decrease in thefts, the news release said.
Villanueva is creating an information packet for local metal recycling centers that will help them make sure they are complying with state law, according to the news release.
“These businesses will now have all the information necessary to be compliant, so that any failure to be so in the future will be met with enforcement and not education,” Villanueva said in the news release.
The sheriff’s office, Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, and Edinburgh, Franklin and Indianapolis police departments participated in the operation.
