A stolen catalytic converter puts one in a growing group of the uneasy
Thefts of catalytic converters in Nassau rose from 445 last year to 1,549 through August of this year. In Suffolk, the comparable numbers were 289 and 819. Credit: Howard Schnapp
I went out to move the car, turned the key in the ignition, and was greeted with a growl. A very loud growl.
Hole in the muffler or tailpipe, I said to myself. But as I drove to my mechanic the next day, pinpointing the source of the sound more accurately, I began doubting my prescription, a hunch he confirmed when he called later to say the catalytic converter had been stolen.
When you get a hole in your muffler, you go to the shop and get it fixed and life goes on. When you get your catalytic converter stolen, you file a police report and become a statistic, and life goes on. But differently.
There is both solace and stress in becoming part of a trend. Because stealing catalytic converters has become very much of a thing.
The Suffolk County police officer who took my information said these thefts are happening "everywhere," and then delineated: "Suffolk, Nassau, North Shore, South Shore."
The stats bear him out. "Cat" thefts in Suffolk rose from 289 last year to 819 through August of this year. In Nassau, the comparable numbers were 445 and 1,549. In New York City, they were 1,505 and 5,548. One thief or thieves ripped 10 of the devices from school buses in a Ronkonkoma lot in June. The State Legislature passed a bill this year co-sponsored by Sen. Anna Kaplan of Great Neck that includes restrictions on selling catalytic converters and requires dealerships to offer new-car buyers etching kits that make stolen converters easier to track. It doesn't seem likely to make much of a dent, but it's something.
The thing is, the wave also is national.
Reported catalytic converter thefts increased from about 1,300 nationally in 2018 to more than 52,000 last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an increase of about 3,900%. In August, police busted a West Coast crime ring centered in Oregon but with tentacles in New York and Texas that reportedly stole more than 44,000 catalytic converters with an estimated value of more than $22 million. State Farm Insurance alone paid California car owners $23 million for cat thefts last year.
The reason for the thefts: the precious metals that allow catalytic converters to reduce exhaust emissions. They're worth a lot of money. Platinum was going for $939 an ounce on Friday morning, according to moneymetals.com. Palladium was worth $2,322 per ounce and rhodium a whopping $14,100 for a single ounce. Plenty of incentive for miscreants, the most efficient of whom use hydraulic lifts and tools like Sawzalls to cut out a cat in less than two minutes. You can do a lot of cars in one night.
Mine was parked on the side of our house because a dumpster for an ongoing kitchen makeover was squatting in the driveway. But the car was only 30 feet from the corner, which has a pretty strong streetlight. Apparently, that was opportunity enough.
The thief or thieves were right outside the house as they worked, and we didn't hear or see anything. Nor did any neighbors, as far as I know.
It wasn't a shooting, or a stabbing, or an assault. But it was something. And it makes us feel uneasy.
Uneasy is not unsafe. I lived in the New York City — in the East Village, Brooklyn and the Bronx — from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. I know what unsafe feels like. But uneasy is on the continuum to unsafe.
The car is back in the driveway now, where it is even closer to the house. I'm looking for more lights for the driveway. And I'm paying more attention to the growing reports of cat thefts.
Sometimes, being one of many is a comfort. Sometimes, not so much.
Columnist Michael Dobie's opinions are his own.
Michael Dobie is a retired member of the Newsday editorial board.
