Fresno joins statewide job force to crackdown on catalytic converter thefts

FRESNO, Calif. (BNN)-- Catalytic converter thefts continue to be a huge issue in the Central Valley.
While they can be hard to prevent and prosecute, an effort is being made in Fresno to change that.
Stolen catalytic converters can leave people without a vehicle and out countless dollars.
"" It was tough due to the fact that after the very first 30 days of the rental car, I had to turn back in, and after that I wound up utilizing a family member'& #x 27; s car for the rest of the month,"" said Kevin Waller.
Without understanding who stole the part, all Waller could do was report the crime without much hope of an arrest.
"" They weren'& #x 27; t able to do anything," said Waller. "" I simply contacted a report and made sure we got a report. The insurance business would be delighted with the report.
Without identification numbers, the stolen catalytic converters can be difficult to trace, making arrests and prosecution challenging.
Earlier in the year, the City of Fresno passed a regulation making belongings of a detached catalytic converter without proof of ownership a criminal offense punishable by fines and even up to a year in jail.
Prior to, somebody needed to be caught taking the catalytic converter to be prosecuted.
To help track the taken parts, Midas in Fresno will engrave your lorry recognition number into your catalytic converter.
"" Which as a result, if they do get stolen, at least providing a better chance of recovering, they do they return to the individual that owns it, just since they'& #x 27; re very expensive,"" stated Roy Rodriguez at Midas. "" Converter replacement costs anywhere from like 1,000 dollars on up."".
City Attorney Andrew Janz stated the state paid attention to the regulation and welcomed Fresno to join the California Statewide Catalytic Converter Taskforce.
Janz says cooperation with Fresno Police and other companies has already helped in reducing thefts in the city.
According to Fresno cops, by this time last year, there were more than 1,600 catalytic converter thefts in the city.
This year, there have actually just been 375 so far.
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