Who’s stealing catalytic converters in Seattle, and what are they doing with them?

If you own a Toyota Prius or a Honda Element, be careful. Catalytic converter theft increased more than 3,800% in Seattle and King Counties over the past year.

The main targets are the Toyota Prius or a Honda item.

In 2019, 24 catalytic converter thefts were reported in the Seattle area. In 2020 this number rose to around 950 thefts. This does not include thefts that have not been reported to law enforcement authorities.

The news of catalytic converter theft last year focuses on one or two people, painting a repetitive picture of a disheveled person found with 500 catalytic converters in the back of their truck.

The King County Sheriff’s Office believes most street-level suspects are looking for a quick way to make money, including those struggling with drug addiction.

But these unique examples don’t paint a big enough picture, according to the sheriff’s office. Detectives have turned their attention to companies that buy these catalysts: refineries, processors, all medium-sized brokers.

It’s a national trend that has hit Seattle particularly hard – the most popular cars that catalytic converters appear to be Prii (plural for Prius). They are the gold standard according to the Sheriff’s Office.

A catalyst is valuable for the precious metals inside. Platinum, palladium and rhodium coat the ceramic base of the catalyst.

Palladium resale prices are around $ 3,000 per ounce. Rhodium can be sold for $ 24,000 per ounce. Palladium is used in electronics, dental equipment, jewelry, airplane spark plugs, glasses, and flutes.

Shiny, beautiful and durable, this metal trio helps the catalytic converter located under the car speed up chemical reactions to reduce exhaust emissions, reduce the penetration of toxic gases and pollutants into the air.

Other earth-rich materials cannot be compared to these unique catalyst metals, says Brian Flinn, professor emeritus in the Department of Material Science and Engineering at the University of Washington.

“They are the ones that work best,” says Flinn. “Your reactions are quicker. They are some of the best catalysts we know. “

As with all good things, you can tell when they’re gone.

Flinn’s catalyst was stolen in 2011. When he started his truck there was a terrible rattle and rattle. “Did I hit something last night?” he asked himself.

“I went and looked under my truck and it was four feet away from my exhaust pipe. I’m like ‘what the fuck?’ ”

Loss of a stolen catalytic converter can cost car owners between $ 500 and $ 2,000 to own. The insurance can cover the loss, but then there is a deductible to pay.

Take precautionary measures

Tracy Record, editor of the West Seattle blog, says stolen catalysts were first reported as a strange and unusual trend on the blog in 2008. She’s stolen dozens of them in the past few months, including her Honda Element.

Her car made a deafening noise as she turned the key. “I’ve never seen a tornado,” says Record. “But in movies where the tornado comes, and it’s just that incredibly deafening roar – something close to that.”

The West Seattle Blog encourages readers to share their experiences. According to records, most people seem to believe that they have adequately protected their car.

“They parked under a bright light or they parked in their driveway,” she says. “What they don’t realize is that it can literally happen in a minute.”

A sign of a catalytic converter theft, if you hear sawing at 4 a.m., it is likely not a lumberjack. And while it makes intuitive sense to park the car in a visible place, such as under a street lamp, it can make identification easier.

An important tip is to park your car in a less visible place, preferably in a garage. This isn’t an easy option for everyone in Seattle, especially those who live in apartments, rely on street parking, or live in their cars. Catalytic converters have no recognizable characteristics that associate them with a car: no description of the make or model and no chassis number. It’s just a piece of lucrative metal under the car.

In the The Crime Watch section of the West Seattle blog, neighbors share workarounds. One person says they use a hot wire to deter thieves. Other solutions include painting the catalyst to make it more unique and therefore easier to identify when found.

Where Are Catalysts Going?

The fingers point to local junkyards.

But Jon Howe, owner of West Seattle Recycling, says he doesn’t see too many catalysts. He says that’s probably because the junkyard doesn’t pay a lot. Of the few catalysts that go through, West Seattle Recycling sales managers pay $ 40 to $ 50.

Also, Howe says he’s not that interested in catalysts. There is no guarantee of how much precious metal there might be in it, and it’s not good for its brand.

“I have to work very hard to give our company a good image. I don’t have to buy anything stolen, ”he says. “I’ve been in business too long. And I have built my reputation and legacy on running a good, honest, and solid business that does legitimate business. “

Via email, Ryan Glant, president of Pacific Iron and Metal, says his company isn’t getting many catalysts either.

“We have very little purchase of catalysts as part of our operations,” says Glant. “As we’re not a car wreck or parts depot, we don’t really compare this item here to any other in the industry.”

According to Sgt., Large sales of catalytic converters are taking place on online sites like Offer Up and Craigslist. Tim Meyer of the King County Sheriff’s Office. He says the plainclothes detectives have become aware of how sales take place.

For example, on Craigslist: “There are people who” don’t do stressful shopping, “” says Meyer. “They will meet you in a parking lot and you will only pay in cash.”

Meyer says they cannot prove the catalysts were stolen because there are no identifiable features. And just being in possession of a catalyst is not a crime – it might actually belong to the individual. This is a problem in resolving the open cases his office is working on.

Meyer says his office is trying to “take the demand side out so that it becomes a much less attractive commodity”.

As long as the demand for palladium, platinum and rhodium remains high, medium-sized brokers have an economic incentive to “attract suspects at street level to steal converters,” says Meyer.

The King County Sheriff’s Office is hoping that state lawmakers will pass law to make catalytic converter theft a crime, like the state of Indiana has done.

At the local level, City Councilor Lisa Herbold worked with the police on the problem earlier this year. She called for an official response to the dramatic national increase in these thefts.

Meanwhile, detectives are working on midsize brokers buying hundreds of catalysts.

You can hear that story on KUOW’s Daily Podcast, Seattle Now, here.