Tips to Prevent Catalytic Converter Thefts

 

Tips to Prevent Catalytic Converter Thefts 

The theft of catalytic converters in Arlington, Texas and surrounding municipalities continue to plague communities. This is due, in part, by the ease of removing the catalytic converter and the value of the various metals found within. Most Local Police Department’s Property Crimes Units are working hard to mitigate this criminal act by closely examining each reported incident, sharing information with other law enforcement agencies, identifying suspects, and presenting various cases to the prosecuting attorney’s office for review. In order to assist police investigators with combating this problem, we ask that the public take the following considerations in order to better protect their vehicles:

Defensive Parking  

Always park your vehicle in an area that allows the most visibility to a passerby. Take note of any security cameras that are in the area and park in a location where your vehicle can be monitored.

Effective Security Lighting

Good security lighting will make your vehicle visible to the public and can reduce the likelihood of your vehicle being targeted.

Spread Awareness

 Talk to your neighbors and work together to monitor each other’s property and report suspicious behavior.

Identifying Etching

 Marking your converter with your vehicle’s VIN, license plate number, or some other identifying feature will help the police to track your converter back to you should it be stolen and recovered.

 Report to Police

In the event your vehicle is targeted, report the incident to the police even if you feel prosecution is unlikely due to very limited available information. Based on past investigations, it has been determined that suspects tend to strike numerous locations over the course of an evening. The information provided by a victim could potentially link a suspect to multiple locations merely by utilizing a clothing and/or vehicle description. Please note that making a report does not mean an officer will respond to the location. Necessary information can be reported over the phone, by calling the your local Police Department non emergency number 

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