Catalytic converter thefts: Long Island police aim to combat spike

Police on Long Island are intensifying patrols and boosting the number of scrap-yard inspections in an effort to stop the scourge of catalytic converter thefts, officials said.

Long Island has been an epicenter of the thefts of the vehicle emissions devices, which have become a favorite target of thieves because of their high monetary street value and how relatively easy they are to steal, authorities said.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said he created the Property Auto Crime Unit late last year in response to the spike in property crimes, including catalytic converter thefts, and stolen vehicles. Harrison said his officers and detectives had been sharing intelligence with the Nassau County Police Department as well as the NYPD, state police and federal authorities to crack down on the thefts.

"We've giving out intelligence packages to our patrols officers … to be on the lookout for a person or a vehicle or a group of individuals," Harrison said. "We're doing a little better job at our scrap metal yards. We'll go through the paper inspections and see who's dropping off catalytic converters and see if there's any criminality afoot."

Although just one catalytic converter was reported stolen to the Nassau County Police Department in 2019, 2,292 converters were reported stolen in 2022, according to department statistics. In 2021, the Suffolk County Police Department received reports of 282 converters stolen. That number rose to 1,581 the next year.

In the first month of this year, 118 catalytic converter thefts were reported to the Nassau and Suffolk police departments.

Thefts trending down

Harrison said the number of catalytic converter thefts had been trending downward — 49 reported last month, which would put the county on track for fewer than 600 catalytic converter thefts this year if the numbers stay steady — as the department amped up its efforts. Harrison said Hondas had been a big target.

"I think it's trending down because we're doing targeted enforcement," Harrison said. "We're letting these criminal enterprises know that we're coming for them."

Harrison said the thefts had been pretty spread out around the county and had been committed by individual thieves as well as those alleged to have been working in groups. The department's West Babylon-based 1st Precinct last year experienced the highest spike, 306 last year, while the 7th Precinct, which covers the eastern part of the county, reported 123 — the lowest.

“We have intensified patrols in all neighborhoods and are doing inspections at scrap yards by using the new law the legislators voted on, giving the county the ability to require proper documentation at these establishments,” said Nassau County Police Det. Lt. Richard LeBrun, a department spokesman.

Catalytic converters change vehicles’ pollutants from harmful byproducts into more environmentally friendly emissions. The high-value devices have become increasingly popular with thieves. Catalytic converters contain lucrative precious metals such as rhodium, which is valued at $20,000 per ounce; palladium at $2,938 per ounce; and platinum at $1,128 per ounce, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which tracks thefts of the devices.

Larger vehicles targeted

Danielle Naspinski, a spokeswoman for the NICB, said thieves tended to target larger vehicles like pickup and delivery trucks because they have higher clearances, making it easier to access the converter. The devices do not have serial numbers, making them nearly impossible to trace, though a congressional bill seeks to require that.

“These vehicles are often used as fleet vehicles which often attract thieves as company trucks are usually stored in yards and are left unattended overnight, allowing a criminal to go in and remove a few in very short order,” Naspinski said in an email. “Hybrids are also a major target as these vehicles contain two catalytic converters.”

The thefts are “grossly unreported” to both vehicle insurance companies and the police, she said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) last week called on the Department of Justice to assist the Nassau and Suffolk police departments with the wave of thefts.

Technology to track thieves

Harrison said federal authorities could assist with providing technology, including license plate readers and pole cameras that can assist with tracking thieves and building successful prosecutions.

"These individuals are not walking around, they're not riding on bikes, they're riding in cars," Harrison said. "If we have the right technology, we can make a lot of quality arrests using that technology."

In December, Nassau police seized thousands of stolen catalytic converters and more than $3 million in cash from two brothers who operated a pair of Island Park scrap yards as part of a yearlong investigation into thefts of the devices.

Also last year, the DOJ busted what is alleged to be a nationwide, multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft ring. Two Long Islanders were among 21 people in five states arrested for their alleged roles in the scheme, which federal authorities said involved defendants in California and Oklahoma buying stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and shipping them to an auto-parts store in New Jersey.

Gov. Kathy Hochul — citing an uptick across the state and specifically on Long Island and in New York City, where she said the number of thefts had “quadrupled” last year — signed into law a bill targeting the so-called chop shops where thieves sell the converters for quick cash. The legislation requires junk yards to report the number of catalytic converters received every 60 days and also requires new motor vehicle dealers to stock materials to attach a serial number on the devices to help track converters that are stolen.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.