More than 1,000 catalytic converters have been recovered, according to Phoenix Police Department officials. The news of the retrieval was reported by police in a tweet on May 26. Officials claim they discovered the used and removed catalytic converters while serving a search warrant at a storage facility.
The department stated, “This concludes a months long investigation into a suspect accused of buying and selling them.” The discovery of the catalytic converters comes shortly after Phoenix Police Department officials announced an estimated 6,500% increase in recorded catalytic converter theft incidents.
Phoenix Police took 715 reported catalytic converter theft cases in 2020, up from 72 in 2019. There was a surge of almost 4,700 incidents in 2021. Officers received 690 reports through February 2022, with some cases involving numerous stolen converters. Thefts of catalytic converters have also increased in the areas surrounding Phoenix. Mesa police recorded 631 converter theft cases in 2021, an increase of 814% from the previous year. Chandler Police reported over 400 instances in 2021, 117 just through February of this year, compared to only 22 in 2020.
