WEST MICHIGAN, (June 11, 2014) — An alert for drivers as thieves are looking for a hot item on your car: Michigan State Police say what they’re after your catalytic converter.
Police say thefts are taking place in car pool lots along I-96 and US-131 in Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties. MSP Lt. Chris McIntire says the thefts occur around this time of year, but right now they’re really seeing a increase.
There really isn’t much you can do to protect your car from becoming the next target, and that’s what makes it so easy for thieves. The number of converters being stolen indicates a number of people are involved in the thefts, Lt. McIntire says.
MSP is getting sometimes as many as 10 calls a week. The thieves are selling the catalytic converters for scrap. Depending on the kind of converter, the crooks could get about $100 each.
The thieves are “very well organized, from what we’ve heard, and talking to folks that we have caught, they can get into these car pool lots, get under a car, and have it off in a matter of minutes and be gone.”
Lt. McIntire says it’s important for the public to stay aware and report anything they see as suspicious to them. “We have found in the past that people who have had them stolen think they’re never going to find who did it, so they’re not calling us. He says it helps if people call them because then they are able to obtain a pattern of where and when the converters are being stolen.
You can call the MSP Rockford Post at (616) 866-4411.
