Wichita catalytic converter thefts skyrocket; palladium prices soar, meth use continues

Wichita appears to have set a record for catalytic converter thefts and local authorities are linking the rise to an ongoing methamphetamine epidemic.

Police reported 546 cases through Wednesday, or more than three a day. There were 541 such thefts in all of 2020, a record at the time, and some cases can have more than one theft.

“If we stay at the rate we are going … it will be way more,” Lt. Casey Slaughter said. “It could be double.”

For now, palladium prices have been steadily rising. The precious metals in catalytic converters have a scrap value of between $12 to $471, Deputy Police Chief Jose Salcido said, and criminals can use a power tool to steal them in 30 seconds.

A louder-than-usual exhaust is a good sign that one is missing.

Palladium, a by-product of refining other metals, has increased nearly six-fold from early 2016. Its capital market price currently sits at more than $2,700 an ounce, which is several hundred dollars more than an ounce of gold.

“It’s like the Gold Rush,” Salcido said during a December news conference, “but the gold is catalytic converters right now.”

Slaughter also attributed the rise in thefts to the area’s continued methamphetamine epidemic. Wichita and its surrounding areas have seen a rash of methamphetamine-related arrests, including an April 2021 drug bust in Delano that found $100,000 worth of meth hidden in a barrel.

The issue has been ongoing: in 2019, then-Sheriff Jeff Easter said 70% of the population of the city’s jails had addiction issues, with meth addiction the most prevalent.

Meth prices could affect thefts, but that can go either way, Slaughter said. If prices are low, more people may switch their drug-of-choice to meth, and if prices jump, people could need to steal more to support their habit or change their usage.

Palladium prices have been trending up as international governments, especially China’s, have tightened local regulations on vehicle emissions, creating an immediate need for more converters.

Converter thefts growing problem

Wichita police data goes back several years, but Slaughter said he doesn’t believe the number of thefts before then was nearly what it is today.

“I can’t imagine ... before having numbers of this magnitude based on what I am seeing now,” he said.

In December, Salcido said a state “law (that) has no teeth” contributed to the increased thefts. The law put the Kansas Attorney General’s Office in charge of enforcing that scrap collector businesses register and report seller information to a statewide database.

The AG’s office did not immediately respond to questions.

But in December, the AG’s Office said the 2015 law was ineffective for years because it either lacked funding or had parts suspended by the Kansas Legislature. The legislature in 2019 did approve changes and additional funding; the database and registration requirement started July 1, 2020, the AG’s office previously said.

In Wichita, things are still getting worse.

Wichita’s catalytic converter thefts in 2020 were valued at more than $930,0000, which is more than the combined seven years before that. Between 2010 and 2019, the combined total was just over $1 million.

Cases from January through May were 2 to 5 times higher than each respective month last year, Slaughter said, while January saw 102 cases compared to 25 during the same period last year, and February had 105 compared to 22 a year earlier.

Police offer advice to prevent crimes

Wichita police posted a video on Facebook last week about how to avoid being a victim of the rising crime.

“Park your vehicle in a well-lit area,” Wichita spokesperson Charley Davidson said in the video. “If possible, park your vehicle in a garage; use a sensitivity alarm on your vehicle to detect movement. And, lastly, utilize security cameras.”

Slaughter said residents can also etch their vehicle identification number into the catalytic converter so it can be tied to their vehicle.

Advance Auto Parts said, “some price aggregate sites show catalytic converter replacement costs as high as $2,000 or even $3,000 in some modern vehicles.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2021 at 2:19 PM.