Catalytic converters, an expensive part in motor vehicles’ exhaust systems, are increasingly being targeted by thieves, who can quickly steal and sell them, leaving the vehicle owner with high repair costs.
A bill sponsored by Democratic N.H. Sen. Donovan Fenton, of Keene, and signed into law by Republican Gov. Chris Sununu last week, seeks to target this problem by making it harder for the thieves to profit from the stolen device.
One of the co-sponsors of Senate Bill 188 was Sen. Denise Ricciardi, R-Bedford, whose district takes in Jaffrey, Hinsdale and Winchester, among other local communities.
The measure took effect with the governor’s signature. It places a variety of record-keeping requirements on those who sell catalytic converters and requires them to cooperate with law enforcement investigating thefts of the devices.
Fenton said some of these thefts have occurred at the car dealerships his family owns in Cheshire County.
It could cost vehicle owners more than $1,500 to repair the problem, but the parts are in short supply and may not be immediately available, he said.
A car will not pass yearly inspection without a catalytic converter. Also, the vehicle may not run as well and is likely to make a loud rumbling sound when in operation.
“We heard testimony that Boys and Girls Club’s vans got their catalytic converter stolen off them, so they couldn’t travel,” Fenton said Monday. “We heard testimony about a UPS facility that got hit, so their trucks couldn’t deliver packages; snow-plow trucks got hit, so they couldn’t plow driveways.”
“It’s a huge problem.”
Catalytic converters are part of a vehicle’s pollution control system. They clean harmful exhaust gases through a chemical reaction. It is expensive because it contains precious metals such as palladium, rhodium and platinum.
A thief with a power saw can crawl under a car and cut the part free from the vehicle in a matter of seconds, Keene police Lt. Benjamin Nugent said Monday.
“There’s no rhyme or reason to what cars they’ll steal them from,” he said. “But most of the time they’ll do this at a dealership, or a repair shop, someplace they’d expect to be closed for the night and have a lot of cars.”
“Once they cut them off, they bring them to a scrap yard, and there’s no verification there.”
SB 188 prohibits businesses such as junk dealers and repair shops from buying catalytic converters from anyone who doesn’t provide identification and legal documentation showing ownership of the device.
Also under the bill, such businesses need to keep extensive documentation of such sales and provide them to police upon request.
The Senate approved the legislation in a voice vote on March 9, and the House passed it in a voice vote on June 8.
In testimony on the bill before the Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 31, Dan Bennett, president of the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association said 26 states, including Massachusetts, have passed similar legislation aimed at restricting the market for sales of stolen catalytic converters.
He said thefts of these devices have reached epidemic proportions.
“I get calls at least once a week from members of our association and non-members,” he said. “If you think about it, a car dealer’s lot late at night for catalytic converter theft is like fish in a barrel.”
State Farm insurance reported that its claims for catalytic converter thefts rose 400 percent between 2019 and 2022.
These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.
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