Police Advise Owners Of Vehicle Fleets To Regularly Check For Catalytic Convertor Theft

Local police departments are advising companies with multiple vehicle fleets to inspect their vehicles every couple of days for catalytic convertor theft.

If the company has vehicles that go extended amounts of time without being driven, and then once they are driven, the thefts are noticed, it is nearly impossible for local law enforcement to go through multiple weeks or months worth of area security camera footage to narrow down the time frame, or locate possible suspects.

Catalytic converter thefts have become more frequent as thieves are discovering they are full of precious metals and can be sold to salvage yards for a couple hundred dollars.

The most recent reported thefts in the area come from Menasha where the Lamers bus company reported 3 convertors stolen, but its unknown when the thefts took place.

Lamers says the thefts likely occurred 4 weeks prior.

This isn’t the first time Lamers has reported catalytic convertors stolen. Last fall the company had several stolen from the same lot.

Police encourage companies with fleets of trucks and busses to carve the name of the company, license plate or other identifiable text onto catalytic converters or install an anti-theft cage around convertors to help deter future thefts.