Slight increase in catalytic converter thefts in Houston, police department says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- This week, the Harris County Sheriff's Office arrested a man for possession of catalytic converters.

Law enforcement said the car part was discovered in the trunk of the car he was in, along with several saws and industrial blades.

Eyewitness News investigated where incidents like these were happening more often recently. The Houston Police Department said it has started to see a slight increase in catalytic converter thefts again in the Houston area.

SEE ALSO: Humble ISD Police Department investigating catalytic converter theft on school campus

A sergeant with the HPD's Auto Theft Crime Task Force said catalytic converter thefts almost went away because the price of metal dropped, but added that lately there has been an increase in both the value of metal and thieves stealing that expensive part.

If you remember, a few years ago, the public was hearing about these kinds of thefts daily all around the Houston area, especially when they ended in shootings or worse.

"We are nowhere near where we were three years ago," Auto Theft Crime Task Force Sgt. Tracy Hicks said. "Since October late last fall...we have seen a slight increase."

Hicks said he believes a new city ordinance and state law in recent years have become deterrents for this crime.

"The laws have changed, where individuals can't take these to a metal recycler and sell them. I would like you to sell five catalytic converters...that's illegal, so metal recyclers are not allowed to purchase them, which made it a lot tougher," Sgt. Hicks said.

But Hicks said criminals will still find a way.

Sgt Hicks told ABC13 that they have caught truckloads of catalytic converters going to other states that don't have the same kind of restrictions on sales.

"Because the laws are tougher now, we're getting more jail time for these crooks that we do catch," Hicks explained.

HPD said it's a good idea to take preventative measures by adding alarms to your vehicles and adding a metal plate to the bottom to protect the catalytic converter from being cut off by a saw.