Oklahoma now a top 10 state for catalytic converter theft
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – A new study ranks Oklahoma top 10 in the country for growth in catalytic convertor thefts, with about seven-times more thefts in our state in 2021 compared to 2020.
And this week, an Oklahoma City man said his catalytic convertor was stolen right in front of his home in broad daylight.
It seems relatively simple - you don't just sell stolen cat converters at any available pawn shop. There are only a certain number of recycling centers that'll take them. Stake those out and basically arrest every single person that walks in the door that cannot prove where they got the converter. Unless you own a junkyard, why in the world would you be selling multiple converters? Of course, 376 cops stood outside an Uvalde school and did nothing, so expecting the po-po to actually do something about crime is just wishful thinking.
Anarcho-tyranny - we refuse to control real criminals (that’s the anarchy) so we control the innocent (that’s the tyranny). Samuel Francis
The term “anarcho-tyranny” was coined by the late great Sam Francis to mean a condition in which the state tyrannically regulates the lives of the citizens but refuses to enforce fundamental protective law. When Francis was alive, gun control was often used as an example. The state harassed citizens over their ownership of firearms but did nothing to protect them from violent criminals.
all across the country the police and the EPA are doing a fine job trying to stop catalytic converter thefts by not requiring the buyers of the converters to have the necessary paperwork to prove where the converters came from. I was in the muffler business for eight years and the EPA would check my shop to see if I had any scrap converters and all of the paperwork required by them, which included the sales receipt to the customer, and a receipt form the parts vendor from whom I purchased the replacement. I had a licensed scrapper buy my old ones and he was vetted by the EPA. Once They conducted an inspection ( raid) of my shop and I had a couple of converters that didn't have the paperwork and I was fined two thousand dollars. Go after the buyer and there will be no market for the converters. I hate Thieves!!!
In Modesto, California where I moved here from, none of the junkyards or recycling places would take catalytic converters from citizens, only from licensed muffler shops and mechanics, and that was before the thefts really took off.
I know a guy whose meth head brother stole his. He has cameras up now trying to catch him stealing all manner of things. 2 Church buses (vans) in our area had theirs stolen right in the church parking lot.
Neighbor took his CAT out. Bought adaptor kit off the net. CAT goes back in before his inspection. Votes for everything left, figures work arounds for himself.
Where I live (Winnipeg, Canada) we just passed a law requiring all scrapyards to take pictures of sellers, record license plates, and copy IDs before accepting anything, along with not paying cash for any amount over $50. There were some other ridiculous things in the law too.
Seems to me it might have been easier to just tell them to not buy catalytic converters from individuals (it's not like this is a part that a "weekend mechanic" will be swapping out in his driveway.) Especially in light of a long investigation that led police to a single scrap metal business owner who was buying every stolen catalytic converter in the city from the meth heads.
This crime has gotten so bad they're even stealing catayltic converters from Teslas.
ReplyDeleteIt seems relatively simple - you don't just sell stolen cat converters at any available pawn shop. There are only a certain number of recycling centers that'll take them. Stake those out and basically arrest every single person that walks in the door that cannot prove where they got the converter. Unless you own a junkyard, why in the world would you be selling multiple converters? Of course, 376 cops stood outside an Uvalde school and did nothing, so expecting the po-po to actually do something about crime is just wishful thinking.
ReplyDeleteAlot og po po's actually do something about crime...they contribute to it.
DeleteIn other words, Don, it's another case of -
DeleteAnarcho-tyranny - we refuse to control real criminals (that’s the anarchy) so we control the innocent (that’s the tyranny). Samuel Francis
The term “anarcho-tyranny” was coined by the late great Sam Francis to mean a condition in which the state tyrannically regulates the lives of the citizens but refuses to enforce fundamental protective law. When Francis was alive, gun control was often used as an example. The state harassed citizens over their ownership of firearms but did nothing to protect them from violent criminals.
all across the country the police and the EPA are doing a fine job trying to stop catalytic converter thefts by not requiring the buyers of the converters to have the necessary paperwork to prove where the converters came from. I was in the muffler business for eight years and the EPA would check my shop to see if I had any scrap converters and all of the paperwork required by them, which included the sales receipt to the customer, and a receipt form the parts vendor from whom I purchased the replacement. I had a licensed scrapper buy my old ones and he was vetted by the EPA. Once They conducted an inspection ( raid) of my shop and I had a couple of converters that didn't have the paperwork and I was fined two thousand dollars. Go after the buyer and there will be no market for the converters.
ReplyDeleteI hate Thieves!!!
In Modesto, California where I moved here from, none of the junkyards or recycling places would take catalytic converters from citizens, only from licensed muffler shops and mechanics, and that was before the thefts really took off.
DeleteI know a guy whose meth head brother stole his. He has cameras up now trying to catch him stealing all manner of things. 2 Church buses (vans) in our area had theirs stolen right in the church parking lot.
ReplyDeleteI had mine stolen in a hospital parking lot in Tulsa. According to the police hospitals are a popular spot for the thieves.
ReplyDeleteIf people started shooting the perps with a 12 ga shell to deliver an ass full of rock salt, the thefts would stop pronto,
ReplyDeleteNeighbor took his CAT out. Bought adaptor kit off the net. CAT goes back in before his inspection. Votes for everything left, figures work arounds for himself.
ReplyDeleteWhere I live (Winnipeg, Canada) we just passed a law requiring all scrapyards to take pictures of sellers, record license plates, and copy IDs before accepting anything, along with not paying cash for any amount over $50. There were some other ridiculous things in the law too.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me it might have been easier to just tell them to not buy catalytic converters from individuals (it's not like this is a part that a "weekend mechanic" will be swapping out in his driveway.) Especially in light of a long investigation that led police to a single scrap metal business owner who was buying every stolen catalytic converter in the city from the meth heads.