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Sep 30, 2023

Catalytic converter thefts on the rise at Cal State Fullerton, campus police say

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Police say catalytic converter thefts are on the

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Police say catalytic converter thefts are on the rise at Cal State Fullerton, but this past Wednesday, surveillance cameras on campus caught a suspect vehicle.

Last year, 21 of the car parts were reported stolen, Capt. Scot Willey with the CSUF Police Department said. So far this year, that number is at 14.

"We're not unlike all the other Orange County agencies right now and we've just been getting hit hard with catalytic converter thefts, Willey said, adding, "because our population was less in 2021, we're assuming that it's gonna be more in 2022, because of the rise in population at the university level, but it's really happening-all of our parking lots, and all of our parking structures, at all times of day and all times of night," Willey said.

Police caught a suspect vehicle this past Wednesday on camera. Officers said two catalytic converters were stolen from Toyota Prius cars parked on campus. These vehicles are often targeted because their catalytic converters are made of precious metals yielding more cash when sold for scrap.

Police took to social media, warning followers to keep an eye out for this black Chevy S-10 pickup. You can see in this photo, the headlight on the passenger side is out and there is no license plate.

Eyewitness News spoke with several students who admitted they were not aware of the problem on campus, but hearing about it had some like Brianna Lopez and Tony Guo concerned about their safety.

"If there's people who could commit that kind of crime, there's definitely people who could do worse things than just steal catalytic converters. Safety-they could hurt people for it," Lopez said.

"I think this is just another thing to be mindful about, "Guo said.

Police looked forward to increased surveillance coming to campus to lend them a hand.

"We're actually adding on over, about a thousand more, cameras in the next two to three years. So that's a large project that we're working on. So they're taking this very seriously and we're trying to get cameras in as many locations as we possibly can," Capt. Willey said.

Willey recommended car owners check with their local law enforcement department to see if they have programs to etch catalytic converters to track them. He also suggested they check with their car insurance companies because some will cover the costs of installing shields on cars to prevent catalytic converter thefts.