NORFOLK, Va.— A new law in Virginia has police departments cracking down on criminals who steal and make money off of catalytic converter thefts.
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Virginia will soon presume detached catalytic converters are stolen
It's something a local non-profit, Eggleston, has experienced several times—40 times to be exact. This is especially hard for the center because they use their cars to provide job training, education, and employment services for disabled adults.
"Stealing from charitable organizations like Eggleston, it really hits the whole community because that's who we serve," said Paul Atkinson, Eggleston's VP of operations. "We had multiple incidents where we were targeted before we can really get our defenses up."
Ron Syphrett with Eggleston Auto Tech said it can all happen very quickly.
"What they do is they take the saws off, they roll under the car and cut. Boom. It's gone in 5 minutes," Syphrett said.
Now, thanks to a new law, it will be harder for criminals to steal and make money off catalytic converters in Virginia. Officials hope that the new law that went into effect July 1st will help curb the steady rise in crime.
Anyone found in possession of a catalytic converter and doesn't have proof of where it came from, or who sold it to them, could be charged with a class 6 felony, facing anywhere from one to five years behind bars
"When someone is apprehended we need to make the punishment fit the crime and I think this was a step in doing it," said Atkinson.
Experts said the reason criminals go after these catalytic converters of the value of the precious metal inside. Thieves can make anywhere from $500 to $1,800 on average.
Eggleston Auto Shop said safety measures are tighter than ever so they won't be a target anymore.
"We bolstered our cameras," Atkinson said. "We have physical barriers on some of our fleet vehicles that we feel were targets."
Atkinson hopes the new law will help to reduce the number of stolen converters and help keep the non-profit cars in one piece.
