Thousands of stolen catalytic converters have been recovered in San Joaquin County, yet police agencies lack laws needed to prosecute many of those who are caught with the auto parts in their possession, the county Board of Supervisors was told this week.
As a result, the board ordered an ordinance drafted that could make possession of a stolen catalytic converter a misdemeanor in the county.
The effort, brought to the board by Supervisor Steven Ding, came with the full endorsement of Sheriff Patrick Withrow, who said more than 3,500 stolen catalytic converters have been recovered in Stockton, Lodi and other areas of San Joaquin County in the past five years.
Withrow had previously backed a call for a law that would make possession of stolen catalytic converters a felony, but the effort failed in the Legislature in 2022. The crime has become prevalent across the state because the pollution-cutting devices contain valuable metals.
The thefts are a “horrendous crime on families,” Withrow said. “And when a family is affected by this, they can’t get to work.”
It hits those in need the hardest.
“When your catalytic converter gets cut off, you can’t drive that car. And it costs thousands and thousands of dollars to have it replaced,” the sheriff said, adding that many people lack insurance policies to cover the cost of new converters.
Police also have a difficult time dealing with the problem. Thieves can remove a catalytic converter from a car in a matter of seconds, making it hard to catch them in the act. Prosecutions are complicated by a lack of serial numbers that could be used to tie the parts to a specific theft.
“We’ve caught guys with 15 of these in their cars. And the problem is that once it’s cut off a vehicle, we don’t have enough to the give the (district attorney) to charge the guy for being in possession of a stolen piece of property,” Withrow said.
Law enforcement agencies in the Central Valley have had the same problem. And they are eyeing the same solution: Making possession of a catalytic converter at least a misdemeanor. Punishment would be up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, Withrow said.
The effort is being pushed by a Southern California man who has taken up the issue as a statewide crusade. Daryl Terrell of Moreno Valley worked at a home-improvement chain with a friend who had his catalytic converter stolen. That’s when they discovered the deficiencies in the law.
Terrell told the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors that state law doesn’t allow for prosecution if someone is caught in possession of up to eight stolen converters. The only charges that can be filed are for operating as an auto dismantler without a license.
Upset with that loophole in the law, “I went on a mission,” Terrell said.
He said said he’s traveled to 28 counties and 19 cities in California to push for local changes, convincing municipalities throughout the state to pass laws to close the gap.
Having a law in place “could have stopped a heartache for a lot of people,” Terrell said.