Arrests.
Since filing charges against 10 people allegedly involved in a theft ring, catalytic converter thefts have decreased more than 60% in many parts of the greater Philadelphia area.
The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Auto Theft Unit is taking a step toward reducing catalytic converter thefts this Saturday.
District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, along with the Pennsylvania Auto Crime Investigators Association (PACIA), the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Pennsylvania State Police, the Attorney General’s Office and representatives from multiple insurance companies, will hold a catalytic converter etching event at Thompson Toyota, 122 W. Swamp Road, in Doylestown Township from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
During this event, auto theft investigators will place and permanently etch a unique serial code number on the catalytic converters of vehicles. The serial code will then be entered into a database, which will allow law enforcement to trace the converter if it is stolen and later recovered, according to Schorn. The office has hosted similar events bringing this unique tool to deter catalytic converter thefts to the region.
Schorn said the theft of catalytic converters is a serious matter to law enforcement.
This effort builds upon the successful dismantling by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Auto Theft Unit of a multi-million-dollar organized criminal enterprise that specialized in the theft of catalytic converters throughout the Delaware Valley region.
The nearly yearlong investigation, led by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, resulted in the charging of a Philadelphia tow yard, along with 10 adult individuals and one juvenile. Three dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies assisted in this incredible case.
Since filing charges catalytic converter thefts have decreased over 60% in many parts of the greater Philadelphia area, Schorn said.
