Catalytic converter thefts plummet

There is a silver lining to the nation's bad economy: You don't have to worry as much about your car's catalytic converter.

With the price of some precious metals plunging more than 60 percent in the past few months, city and county police say fewer crooks are turning to catalytic converters and copper wiring for a quick buck.

"The motivation for stealing catalytic converters and other metals is directly related to the market price of metal," said Lt. Herbert H. Hasenpusch, head of the county Police Department's Major Crimes Section, which oversees the county's Pawn & Precious Metals Squad. "(And) a recent downtrend in the number of catalytic converter thefts can be at least partly attributed to the reduction in the market value of precious metals."

County police said so far this year 870 catalytic converters have been reported stolen. But there have been only 49 reported thefts this month and only 54 last month, far less than the record 152 reported in July.

Lt. Hasenpusch explained that catalytic converters - which contain small amounts of platinum, palladium and rhodium - aren't worth as much at area scrap yards.

"When the benefit was $200 to $300 per catalytic converter, the risk was worth it. Now that the benefit is $30 to $80 per catalytic converter, and the risk of being detected has been increased by public awareness and increased police patrols, the act of committing the theft is not worth it to most criminals," Lt. Hasenpusch said.

According to Kitco Precious Metals, platinum was trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange for about $880 per ounce Friday, down 60 percent from a March high of $2,252 per ounce. Palladium was trading for about $175 per ounce, down 70 percent from a March high of $579 per ounce, and rhodium was trading for about $1,075 per ounce, down 89 percent from a June high of $10,010 per ounce.

Still, police are working to nab those criminals who continue to steal catalytic converters from vehicles in the area - usually to support their drug habits.

Lt. Hasenpusch said it is difficult to charge someone with stealing a catalytic converter because officers generally must catch a thief in the act. He noted it does not take a lot of time to cut a catalytic converter from a vehicle's exhaust system and that auto makers do not mark the parts with serial numbers.

"Once stolen and sold, they are impossible to track or to link back to a particular victim," he said.

County police, who have one detective specifically assigned to investigate catalytic converter and other metal thefts, nabbed 30 people this year and are closing in on dozens more.

Lt. Hasenpusch said that while scrap dealers are not required to check identification or keep logs about who is selling them catalytic converters, many in Anne Arundel County are doing it voluntarily. Those logs and other investigative techniques, he said, have allowed the county's Pawn & Precious Metals Squad to amass a list of about 80 suspects who detectives think are involved in area catalytic converter thefts.

"The list is used when conducting proactive surveillance details, and for identifying possible suspects if a rash of catalytic converter thefts occur in a particular area," Lt. Hasenpusch said.

Police declined to say specifically how thieves steal catalytic converters, saying they didn't want to teach people how to do it. In general, police said, crooks look for vehicles parked in isolated areas, crawl underneath and cut out the catalytic converter.

Police said thieves target larger trucks and SUVs, particularly those built by Toyota, Jeep, Chevrolet and GMC. Most catalytic converters are stolen from vehicles parked outside malls, commuter train stations, schools and libraries.

Lt. Hasenpusch advised people to park in well-lit, heavily traveled areas.

"Even when at a busy mall, try to park in a space that is at the end of a row as opposed to the middle of a row," he said. "If you see anything suspicious like a person crawling under a vehicle or a grinding noise coming from under a vehicle, call police right away."

Lt. Hasenpusch credited citizen tips with helping them arrest many of the suspects the department has managed to put behind bars.

"Many of the arrests that have been made were because citizens observed the suspicious behavior, immediately called police, and stayed on the line to give responding officers a good description and location of the suspects," he said.

Judges rarely order metal thieves to serve more than six months in jails, according to a review of electronic court records by The Capital.

About half of the 30 people arrested this year in connection with catalytic converter thefts are still waiting for their trials.

In the few cases that have ended in convictions, judges sentenced most of the men and women to 18 months in jail, but then suspended all or most of that time.

Only two men - Joseph A. Messaris, 30, of Denton and David W. Leager, 32, of Centreville - received substantial sentences. In all, Messaris was ordered to serve 10 years in prison and Leager was ordered to serve 18 months in jail.

According to police and court records, Leager and Messaris worked together in Queen Anne's County to steal more than a dozen catalytic converters in Stevensville and Queenstown. Queen Anne's County Sheriff's deputies nabbed them during a May sting at the Route 8 Park and Ride in Stevensville.

Anne Arundel County Police then linked the duo to dozens more thefts outside Annapolis and in Linthicum.

Messaris pleaded over the summer in Queen Anne's County to perpetrating a felony theft scheme. A judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but suspended all but 10 years.

Leager pleaded guilty over the summer in Queen Anne's County to perpetrating a felony theft scheme. A judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but suspended all but 18 months.

Earlier this month, Messaris pleaded guilty in Anne Arundel County to felony theft. A judge sentenced him to five years in prison, but then suspended the entire sentence.

At the same time, Leager pleaded guilty to felony theft. A judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison, but suspended all but 18 months.