HOUSTON – Sen. Paul Bettencourt has filed a bill in response to the recent spike in catalytic converter theft insurance claims in Texas, according to a release.
The Senate Bill 465 will hold criminals targeting catalytic converters accountable and help law enforcement and prosecutors in Texas charge and convict them.
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Since 2019, law enforcement has seen a 5,300% jump in catalytic converter thefts, which are usually organized by criminal rings who target catalytic converters for their precious metals inside them, like palladium and rhodium. The metals are worth more per ounce than gold, according to a release.
“The city experienced an increase in property crimes in 2022. Thefts of catalytic converters by an organized crime ring and thefts of firearms not properly secured in vehicles, drove up the reported auto theft crimes by 11 percent,” said Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, highlighting the spike in auto thefts in Houston.
One catalytic converter theft even led to the death of Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Almendarez in March of 2022.
“This is an appalling public safety issue that we have to get under control, criminals are willing to kill over these converters,” Bettencourt said. “Houston Police Department Chief Finner and his officers are on the front lines trying to stomp out these crime rings. Senate Bill 465 will help them by putting the obvious into law, only folks who work in areas that handle catalytic converters in their day-to-day operations should be in possession of a catalytic converter.”
Under the SB 465, a person in possession of a catalytic converter that’s been stolen from a vehicle have committed a crime, unless they are on an approved list of businesses that can legally possess a catalytic converter that’s been removed from a vehicle, according to a release.
The list of approved businesses includes employees of wrecking and salvage yards, metal recycling entities, garage automotive shops, or other entities who possess converters through the course of everyday business, the release stated. However, if a person associated with the previously mentioned businesses knows that the catalytic converter was acquired illegally, they are not protected under this statute and will be charged and prosecuted. Furthermore, SB 465 will add organized crime statutes that automatically increases the offense one category higher than the most serious offense listed if the convicted person is linked to organized crime.
The 60-day deadline for filing bills is March 10, 2023.