Kevin Campion knew his Toyota Tacoma?s catalytic converter had been stolen, because “it sounded like a motorcycle without a muffler.”
The Odenton man Friday became another victim in the recent rash of catalytic converter thefts in Anne Arundel.
In under a minute, catalytic converters, which contain a small amount of valuable platinum, can be cut from the bottom of a car with an electric saw and sold for between $50 and $100on the street, said Cpl. Mark Shawkey, Anne Arundel police spokesman.
Police believe the theives sell the parts to “clandestine auto repair shops that don?t require identification” that in turn sell them back to victims who are searching for new catalytic converter, Shawkey said.
Most recently, the car parts have been stolen from vehicles in park and rides and shopping center parking lots with Jeep Cherokees and Toyota sport utility vehicles being the most common targets because they have a higher ground clearance, which makes it easier to slide under the car and work quickly.
Last year, Anne Arundel police received 268 reports of stolen auto parts and about 130 of those were catalytic converters, which are part of the exhaust system. For 2007 to date, the police have received 121 reports of auto part theft.
The thefts are “no worse at the moment, but it?s no better either. It?s very hard to get data on the number of catalytic converter thefts, because it?s just classified as theft from auto,” said Sherry Llewellyn, Howard County police spokeswoman.
Police have trouble catching the thieves, because lifting viable fingerprints from the bottom of cars is difficult, and the parts do not have serial numbers for tracking, Shawkey said.
Similar thefts are taking place in California, Georgia and New York, Shawkey said.
For Campion to repair the 2-foot gap in his exhaust pipe, he will have to pay between $1,600 and $2,500.
“After it?s fixed, I?ll be just as vulnerable,” he said.
“There is nothing we can do about it, except keep our eyes peeled.”
