Sheriff warns of catalytic converter thefts
By Santa Ynez Valley Star Staff · Tue Mar 17 2020
Staff Report
In response to more than a dozen thefts of catalytic converters from area vehicles, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department is warning residents to park their cars in places that are as safe as possible.
The thieves are targeting vehicles in the middle of the night and sawing off their catalytic converters, which contain expensive precious metals such as platinum, palladium and rhodium that they can sell to make money, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
Most of the local vehicles targeted were Toyotas or Hondas, and catalytic converter thefts are becoming an increasing problem nationwide, the spokesman said.
Since 1975, all vehicles produced in the United States must have a catalytic converter as part of the exhaust system to reduce the toxicity of emissions. As part of the exhaust system, it is underneath the car.
To help prevent a catalytic converter theft, the sheriff recommends: