RE: Copper Thieves

We have problems with catalytic converters being stolen from cars in LA County. They are targeting specific cars for these thefts. 80's and 90's Toyota Pickup trucks and apparently it is very easy to remove these converters in just a couple of minutes.

Maryland, has problems as well. Look at the tools of the trade.The Maryland Transit Administration is cracking down on a ring of catalytic converter thefts affecting Greater Baltimore.

MTA police officers recently arrested two suspects at the Owings Mills Metro subway station in possession of a battery-operated saw used to cut out a catalytic converter from an automobile. Transit police say a "ring" of catalytic converter thieves has hit Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Howard counties, as well as Baltimore City, over the past month.

A search of one of the suspect's homes turned up extra batteries, a drill set, bolt cutters and a pry bar -- "tools of the theft trade," police said. A subpoena was subsequently issued for the records of a scrap yard, where authorities say the catalytic converters can be sold for $20 to $100, depending on the type of car involved.

The catalytic converter is part of an automobile's exhaust system, designed to reduce gasoline emissions. The converters contain platinum, a precious metal that may serve as a motive in thefts.

The investigation is ongoing, MTA officials said.

The MTA is using statistics and computer mapping techniques to determine crime patterns and trends, Lt. Col. John Gavrilis, MTA's deputy chief of police, said in a statement.

"This kind of police work is an example of the behind-the-scenes planning and coordination that helps to safeguard our MTA passengers and the general public," Gavrilis said.

Enlarge By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

John Ayvazian, owner of The Muffler Shop in Chatsworth, Calif., holds up a catalytic converter removed from a car.

By William M. Welch, USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — Police officers are seeing an explosive increase in the theft of catalytic converters, the anti-smog devices on motor vehicles that contain valuable metals.
"We've got reports from agents all over the country, really from Maine to San Diego," says Frank Scafidi, a former FBI agent with the National Insurance Crime Bureau in Des Plaines, Ill. "It seems we are seeing it with more frequency in recent months."

Catalytic converters are required on most SUVs, trucks and automobiles. Small amounts of platinum, palladium and rhodium are used in a thin coating on composite materials inside the converter. When hot exhaust gases pass through from the engine, the metals convert harmful gases — carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburned hydrocarbons — into safer ones.

Thieves unbolt or cut the metal devices from the exhaust systems of parked vehicles and sell them to scrap metal recyclers.

The devices can bring as much as $100-$150 at scrap yards. Victims can face bills of $1,000 or more to replace the converters.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: New York | London | Illinois | San Diego | Southern California | Christmas | Maine | Orange County | Irvine | San Fernando Valley | Danny | Los Angeles Police Department | South Los Angeles | Jim Amormino | Des Plaines | Lexus SUV | National Insurance Crime Bureau | Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
"These guys can do 10 cars in one day, and that's a pretty good profit," says John Ayvazian, owner of The Muffler Shop in the San Fernando Valley. "It's crazy."

Ayvazian says he has heard from dozens of victims. "Many were unaware they're a victim of crime and puzzling why their vehicle suddenly sounds so loud," he says. If the device is missing, a car or truck's exhaust spills directly out of the engine manifold through the open pipe where the converter was once attached under the vehicle, ahead of the muffler.

The rash of catalytic converter thefts mirrors an epidemic of copper thefts. Thieves have targeted utilities, construction sites, farms, churches and even homeowners whose air conditioning units have copper coils. A survey last year by the U.S. Department of Energy found that copper thefts cost utilities nearly $1 billion over a one-year period.

In Southern California, there has been a spate of reports and arrests involving converter thefts since late last year. In suburban Orange County south of Los Angeles, at least 558 catalytic converter thefts were reported in 2007, many of them in December, sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino says. Irvine, a city consistently ranked with one of the lowest crime rates in the nation, had 59 catalytic converter thefts last year, Police Lt. Rick Handfield says. Seven were reported in the week after Christmas.

Detective Jeff Godown, who heads the Los Angeles Police Department's crime-tracking unit, says the crime has gone from "zero" a year ago to a major problem police agencies are trying to get a handle on.

"It's such a large problem, and widespread, that we're trying to come up with some ideas how we can address this," Anaheim police Sgt. Rich Martinez says.

John Abounader, executive director of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators in New York, says there are no reliable statistics on the crime, but it is a widespread problem.

"We're having them all over the country," he says. "The problem lies in unscrupulous salvage yards."

The price of an ounce of platinum was $1,562 on London's benchmark market Jan. 11. That is up $100 from a month earlier and more than $400 over the price a year ago. The price of rhodium exceeded $7,000; in early 2004, it was selling for more than $500.

"Typically, we see an upsurge in metal theft when the prices of underlying commodities are going up," says Bryan McGannon, spokesman for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

He says only a few recyclers in the nation are equipped to open the devices and use heat to extract the metals, so converters typically change hands several times. He says the organization has issued alerts and guidelines to recycling companies to detect goods that might be stolen.

The devices don't have serial numbers and once stolen are virtually impossible to track or distinguish from legitimately obtained scrap, he says.

Thieves seem to have no trouble finding buyers. An ad has been running on the Los Angeles-area Craigslist website this month offering "up to $100 cash" for factory catalytic converters from specific import brands.

Police say thieves often target Toyota SUVs and trucks. Handfield says Toyota 4Runners have been most frequently hit in Irvine. The big vehicles have higher ground clearance and afford easier access to the exhaust system, he says.

Richard Ramos, who repairs exhausts at Danny's Muffler Shop in South Los Angeles, says he sees victims several times a week, mostly with imports. Owners with auto insurance covering theft often still face deductibles that require them to pay $500 or more of the cost of fixing their exhausts.

Handfield says a tightening economy may be spurring the spike in metal thefts. He says Irvine police recently arrested a man stealing metals from construction sites. He was a mortgage banker using his luxury Lexus SUV to haul the loot, Handfield says.

"For all crime, it's opportunity vs. risk, value vs. risk," he says. "In this case, because (catalytic converters) are relatively easy to unbolt, the risk is low."

RE: Copper Thieves

Irish, no offense, but it's been my experience that long walls of text don't actually get read. I know because on other forums people are always criticising me for writing those walls of text <LOL>. Another thing, there may be a copywrite issue involved; not sure one way or the other. But I'm thinking it might be more effective if you just write a brief synopsis accompanying a link instead of posting the entire article. That way, people who are interested can read it at their leisure. Just a suggestion, is all.

RE: Copper Thieves

Wolfva problem is...some people actually read all of it....can't do a synopsis on case law....sometimes...seeing is believing if ya know what I mean....lol

RE: Copper Thieves

New incident....stealing copper cost a life.....
Man killed in fire at El Monte business
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Police say he was trying to remove copper electrical wiring and may have been electrocuted before the blaze began.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 1, 2008
Police say a man attempting to remove copper electrical wiring from an El Monte business died Monday morning after the building caught fire.

Firefighters responded to reports of smoke at 12114 E. Garvey Ave. shortly after 6:15 a.m. They extinguished the fire within about 15 minutes and then found the man's body in a small room containing an electrical panel that appeared to have been tampered with, said Inspector Frank Garrido of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The man was not carrying identification, Garrido said.

"It appeared that he was tampering with the electrical wire and something set off a spark which created a fire," said El Monte Police Lt. Dan Burlingham.

Burlingham said it was possible that the man had been electrocuted before the fire.

El Monte police have investigated several recent incidents of copper wire thefts in the area, Garrido said. But he said the Fire Department had not seen any recent fires related to copper wire thefts.

The death is the second in less than a week connected to electrical panels.

Last week, a veteran Los Angeles firefighter was killed and another was critically injured when sparks from a circular saw they were using to cut through a metal door to a smoking electrical vault ignited a powerful explosion.

The firefighters had responded Wednesday to reports of manhole cover explosions and smoke. They were attempting to reach the source of the smoke at the time of the deadly blast.

molly.hennessy-fiske@

latimes.com

RE: Copper Thieves

I deal with many Law Enforcement Agencies here in Central Florida. If your having a problem with copper crimes, then try thinking about this, Prevention costs less than Replacement. Thats my company motto. www.ProtectYourAC.com is something you need to look into then. We ship air conditioner cages nationwide. For less then 1/4 the cost of replacement you can have a cage installed. These are not your typical bars that anyone can either saw off or just stick thier hands thru and still tear apart the units. These are made with top of the line hardened metals (A-517 Structural Steel) and pick proof locks.

I also make cages for anything else out there from Generators, pool pumps, water mains, backflow regulators, security doors , ect ect.

I hate the idea of having to advertise like this on here, but its the only way to reach law enforcement agencies around the nation all at once. Many of Orlando City Police hand out my brochures to copper theft crime victims because I am the only licensed, insured, and bonded company doing this and im the only ones with a 100% guarentee too.

You can visit my webpage at
www.ProtectYourAC.com
Or email me at
ACCages@ProtectYourAC.com
Or you can call me anytime at
407-446-9259

I have even shipped a few cages to Canada and one to Hawaii too.

Thank you for all your help out there trying to stop this sensless crime spree.

Jon Bascom

RE: Copper Thieves

I deal with many Law Enforcement Agencies here in Central Florida. If your having a problem with copper crimes, then try thinking about this, Prevention costs less than Replacement. Thats my company motto. www.ProtectYourAC.com is something you need to look into then. We ship air conditioner cages nationwide. For less then 1/4 the cost of replacement you can have a cage installed. These are not your typical bars that anyone can either saw off or just stick thier hands thru and still tear apart the units. These are made with top of the line hardened metals (A-517 Structural Steel) and pick proof locks.

I also make cages for anything else out there from Generators, pool pumps, water mains, backflow regulators, security doors , ect ect.

I hate the idea of having to advertise like this on here, but its the only way to reach law enforcement agencies around the nation all at once. Many of Orlando City Police hand out my brochures to copper theft crime victims because I am the only licensed, insured, and bonded company doing this and im the only ones with a 100% guarentee too.

You can visit my webpage at
www.ProtectYourAC.com
Or email me at
ACCages@ProtectYourAC.com
Or you can call me anytime at
407-446-9259

I have even shipped a few cages to Canada and one to Hawaii too.

Thank you for all your help out there trying to stop this sensless crime spree.

Jon Bascom

RE: Copper Thieves

I deal with many Law Enforcement Agencies here in Central Florida. If your having a problem with copper crimes, then try thinking about this, Prevention costs less than Replacement. Thats my company motto. www.ProtectYourAC.com is something you need to look into then. We ship air conditioner cages nationwide. For less then 1/4 the cost of replacement you can have a cage installed. These are not your typical bars that anyone can either saw off or just stick thier hands thru and still tear apart the units. These are made with top of the line hardened metals "A-517 Structural Steel" and pick proof locks.

I also make cages for anything else out there from Generators, pool pumps, water mains, backflow regulators, security doors , ect ect.

I hate the idea of having to advertise like this on here, but its the only way to reach law enforcement agencies around the nation all at once. Many of Orlando City Police hand out my brochures to copper theft crime victims because I am the only licensed, insured, and bonded company doing this and im the only ones with a 100% guarentee too.

You can visit my webpage at
www.ProtectYourAC.com
Or email me at
ACCages@ProtectYourAC.com
Or you can call me anytime at
407-446-9259

I have even shipped a few cages to Canada and one to Hawaii too.

Thank you for all your help out there trying to stop this sensless crime spree.

Jon Bascom

RE: Copper Thieves

I deal with many Law Enforcement Agencies here in Central Florida. If your having a problem with copper crimes, then try thinking about this, Prevention costs less than Replacement. Thats my company motto. www.ProtectYourAC.com is something you need to look into then. We ship air conditioner cages nationwide. For less then 1/4 the cost of replacement you can have a cage installed. These are not your typical bars that anyone can either saw off or just stick thier hands thru and still tear apart the units. These are made with top of the line hardened metals "A-517 Structural Steel" and pick proof locks.

I also make cages for anything else out there from Generators, pool pumps, water mains, backflow regulators, security doors , ect ect.

I hate the idea of having to advertise like this on here, but its the only way to reach law enforcement agencies around the nation all at once. Many of Orlando City Police hand out my brochures to copper theft crime victims because I am the only licensed, insured, and bonded company doing this and im the only ones with a 100% guarentee too.

You can visit my webpage at
www.ProtectYourAC.com
Or email me at
ACCages@ProtectYourAC.com
Or you can call me anytime at
407-446-9259

I have even shipped a few cages to Canada and one to Hawaii too.

Thank you for all your help out there trying to stop this sensless crime spree.

Jon Bascom

How to stop Copper Thieves !

I deal with many Law Enforcement Agencies here in Central Florida. If your having a problem with copper crimes, then try thinking about this, Prevention costs less than Replacement. Thats my company motto. www.ProtectYourAC.com is something you need to look into then. We ship air conditioner cages nationwide. For less then 1/4 the cost of replacement you can have a cage installed. These are not your typical bars that anyone can either saw off or just stick thier hands thru and still tear apart the units. These are made with top of the line hardened metals "A-517 Structural Steel" and pick proof locks.

I also make cages for anything else out there from Generators, pool pumps, water mains, backflow regulators, security doors , ect ect.

I hate the idea of having to advertise like this on here, but its the only way to reach law enforcement agencies around the nation all at once. Many of Orlando City Police hand out my brochures to copper theft crime victims because I am the only licensed, insured, and bonded company doing this and im the only ones with a 100% guarentee too.

You can visit my webpage at www.ProtectYourAC.comOr email me at ACCages@ProtectYourAC.comOr you can call me anytime at407-446-9259

I have even shipped a few cages to Canada and one to Hawaii too.

Thank you for all your help out there trying to stop this sensless crime spree.

Jon Bascom

RE: Copper Thieves

You can't hate advertising here that much if you spam a forum 5 times. Why not just contact Bobbit publishing and buy some ad space? Nah...surely THAT would NEVER work. Ludicrouse idea.