The Catalytic Converter Frenzy Appears Over In Central Minnesota

Before I moved to Minnesota, I wasn’t having to get up at 3am like I am now, so I subscribed to a few emails that came in first thing in the morning and gave me the latest on things happening in the world of business, marketing and other areas that I have some interest in, but normally don’t have the time or the energy to keep up with on a regular basis.

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Earlier this week I came across a story that I read and then printed off because I was a little surprised at what it said. I printed it as a reminder to look into this locally.

The story that piqued my interest was that the number of thefts of Catalytic Converters had gone down over the last few years. 2021 was my last year in Virginia, and I remember hearing about people having the catalytic converters stolen off of their car that was sitting in their driveway while they slept. Of course, we were still managing Covid in 2021, and times were a little crazy.

The story I found quoted numbers that came from the National Insurance Crime Bureau that said the number of thefts for this part had gone down over half this year alone.

The main reason Catalytic Converters became so targeted is because the precious metals they are made of went up in value. Rhodium for instance used to go for $26,000 per ounce in 2021, but now it is less than $5,000 which is making the demand for these items on the black market go down considerably.

I reached out to St. Cloud Police asking about if this was the case here in Central Minnesota as well. Commander Martin Sayre said they don’t track specifically Catalytic Converter thefts; but the number of thefts of auto parts and accessories has gone down since 2021. There were 68 of these thefts in 2021, 50 last year and to date this year, there have been 32 of these types of thefts in St. Cloud.

So, unless you park in a garage it’s hard to keep people from finding ways to steal things like your catalytic converter, but you are encouraged to do as much as you can to protect your vehicle and your belongings. And if you see something/someone that looks out of place, reach out to law enforcement.