Catalytic converter thefts have skyrocketed across the US and now law enforcement agencies in Washington state are offering to engrave residents converters for free in case they get stolen.
While crime is at an all-time high throughout the state due to the highly controversial police reform laws that took effect in July 2021, lawmakers in Olympia struggle to pass legislation that would crack down on the thieves.
The Everett Police Department announced a partnership with Sno-Isle Tech that will allow residents to have the last eight digits of their VIN engraved on their catalytic converter, free of cost. This would allow law enforcement personnel to return converters to their rightful owner if found after being reported stolen, KOMO News reports.
Jason Shackelford, a local mechanic from Stingray Auto Repair in Redmond, told the Ari Hoffman Show on 570 KVI that his shop is offering free installations on catalytic converter theft preventers.
Shackelford told Hoffman that the public response has been "overwhelming" and he had 70 customers, all with Priuses, schedule an appointment to install their theft preventers within a few hours after offering the service. Shackelford normally charges $250 - $400 for the service.
"Before we closed our Seattle location two years ago, I watched the crime in our neighborhood, repeatedly, non-stop, and got sick of it. I focused here on the East side because we didn't have it (high crime) but now it's here. I didn't want to standby and do nothing like I did in Seattle. It's not fair to the consumers and if our elected officials aren't going to allow our police officers to do their jobs then maybe somebody else can do something about it to deter it a little bit," Shackelford told Hoffman.
Introduced into legislation by state senator Jeff Wilson (R-Longview), Senate Bill 5495 would act as a first step to tackling the ongoing issue.
SB 5495 would require metal scrap businesses and dealers to only buy used catalytic converters from commercial enterprises and vehicle owners. It also bans cash payments on the spot, and requires dealers to keep records of catalytic converter purchases. That includes vehicle ID numbers and seller identification. Under the bill, a violation would be a misdemeanor.
"It leaves a trail of victims all throughout our state, and it costs thousands of dollars for people to have to replace their stolen catalytic converters, and this is a devastating blow to victims, especially during times of a pandemic economy," Wilson said during the committee hearing last week.
"I would like to have it expanded into more of a task force of a crime investigation unit," Wilson later told KOMO News on his legislation.
Democratic legislators in the House are halting the bill with different proposed legislation. HB 1815 focuses on creating a task force to look at the existing regulation and suggests having catalytic converters marked for tracking to help track down and deter thieves.
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