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Oct 18, 2023

BPD reports decline in catalytic converter thefts, but anecdotal reports suggest the problem remains

Steve McGlothin, owner of Steve's Muffler in Bakersfield, prepares to install a

Steve McGlothin, owner of Steve's Muffler in Bakersfield, prepares to install a new catalytic converter on a Toyota vehicle in this March 2021 file photo. The vehicle's previous converter was stolen.

The explosion of catalytic converter thefts in Bakersfield over the last two years led to an outpouring of frustration. But recent data, in combination with anecdotal accounts, presents a more nuanced picture of the crime's continuing effects on the local community.

The Bakersfield Police Department reported receiving 255 reports of catalytic converter thefts from the start of January through Thursday. That's a slight reduction from police reports filed in each of the years 2021 and 2022 covering approximately the same period.

BPD spokesman Sgt. Robert Pair suggested such thefts are likely extremely underreported for 2023. He has said a catalytic converter theft reported within an hour will not get an immediate response. He said earlier that catching a person sawing away at metal and calling police immediately will receive a faster response.

Mechanics reported customers arriving at their shops in similar numbers as last year, or a slight slowdown. A catalytic converter acts as a filter attached to a car's underbelly and is prized for the precious metal it contains.

"They are stealing them, but not as bad," Steve McGlothin, owner of No Muff Too Tuff, said Friday. He added his business nearly doubled in 2022 from the year before because of car owners seeking help from catalytic converter theft.

Reprius owner Kris Altmiller noted a recent trend: More catalytic converters have been stolen from a newer generation of Prius vehicles, though those parts contained less of the precious metal as compared with older Prius models.

Both business owners noted the difficulty of getting the part. Altmiller said he's on a nine-month waiting list to get catalytic converters, though he noted his costs haven't changed.

Residents definitely feel the impact, members of the Bakersfield City Council said.

"It's clearly still a problem," said Vice Mayor Andre Gonzales, the Ward 2 councilman who reported he continues to hear from constituents about catalytic converter thefts.

Ward 7 Councilwoman Manpreet Kaur agreed with these concerns and said the trucking community has been vocal with her about catalytic converters and other mechanical thefts targeting 18-wheeler fleets. Often, the thefts happen right in their truck yards, she wrote in a text.

The Community Advisory Panel — a group of local residents advising the BPD chief on department policy — plans to arrange a meeting between local law enforcement and fleet owners to address related issues, Kaur added.

Last year, the city of Bakersfield attempted to pass an ordinance making it illegal to possess multiple, detached catalytic converters without a proof of ownership. A heated City Council discussion churned out two blocs of elected officials: members who argued the municipal code could legally enact change and those who thought otherwise.

BPD Assistant Chief Brent Stratton said during a July 13 City Council meeting the ordinance didn't differ greatly from existing penal codes and that police wouldn't rely on the newly minted law to apprehend suspects. City Attorney Ginny Gennaro warned council members the law raises constitutional concerns and could result in civil lawsuits.

The ordinance was tabled by the council pending the outcome of state bills winding through the state Legislature that address the same issue. Two bills, Assembly Bill 1740 and Senate Bill 1087, aim to address catalytic converter theft and have since been signed into law.

Ward 1 Councilman Eric Arias, who directed city staff to examine the tabled ordinance, did not respond to a request for comment.

Many California cities have recently adopted, or are considering, ordinances similar to the one looked at in Bakersfield. Gonzales said Bakersfield should become a laboratory of new ideas and try new approaches to solve pressing problems. He acknowledged the City Attorney's Office had concerns but was still in favor of the ordinance.

"This wait-and-see approach doesn't work for the ninth largest city with over 400,000 people," Gonzales said.

Altmiller, Reprius' owner, said he continues to see an issue of thieves going to a scrapyard, whose employees may accept catalytic converters without any questions.

"Even though the laws have been put on the books, none of the scrapyards are honoring it," he added.

Gonzales said he would like to see data on the state law's effectiveness and how other cities are grappling with the ordinance tabled in Bakersfield. He pointed to the two state bills as reasons why there's a decline in reports. But, he noted, more change should be done at a local level.

Editor's note: This story has been revised to reflect revised data provided by the Bakersfield Police Department on April 12, 2023.

Ishani Desai can be reached at 661-395-7417. Follow her on Twitter: @_ishanidesai.

The Bakersfield Police Department provided revised statistics showing the number of catalytic converter thefts reported for January through March during each of the last four years:

2019: 17

2020 : 144

2021 : 462

2022 : 480

2023: 255

The Bakersfield Police Department issued corrections Wednesday to data it provided for a front-page story The Californian published April 2 ab…

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