Here’s how you can make it harder for thieves to cash in on your catalytic converter

A new program aims to make it harder for thieves in Wichita to cash in on the precious metals stolen from your vehicle’s catalytic converter.

It takes less than 30 seconds to cut away the catalytic converter and the metals inside can yield them upwards of $1,000 for their effort, Wichita police said. It’s been a problem across the state and it’s happening in droves in Wichita.

There’s been more than three a day this year, surpassing the record of 541 in 2020, with 760 so far this year. The price of street drugs often used by motor thieves and the high value of the precious metals in catalytic converters have driven the crime, police said. The uptick has been the impetus for the new program that will etch a unique number into catalytic converters at no cost. Those numbers can then be entered into a national database.

Wichita police partnered with dealerships and auto repair shops to have 2,000 of the etching kits installed. The kits have a retail cost of between $20-30. Installations and help with database entry are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 21 at these locations:

• Mel Hambelton Ford — 11771 W. Kellogg

• Midwest Kia — 8725 W. Kellogg

• Orr Nissan — 10625 E. Kellogg

• Davis-Moore Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat — 7675 E. Kellogg

• Eddy’s Toyota — 7333 E. Kellogg

• Mike Steven Volkswagen – 11211 E. Kellogg

• Super Car Guys — 2337 S. Broadway

• Bill’s American Muffler Shop — 3303 S. Seneca

• Midas — 2820 S. Seneca

• Don Hattan Chevrolet — 6000 Hattan in Park City

“We are working on innovative ways to reduce this crime that has been having a significant impact on businesses and residents,” Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said in a news release. “(The Wichita Police Department) is grateful for area dealerships and auto repair shops partnering with us to help us to reduce these thefts. The scrap metal industry must start to be part of the solution instead of fighting legislation that will help us stop this expensive crime.”

People can also etch a unique number into the catalytic converter themselves, possibly using the last six digits of their vehicle identification number, followed by a dash and your initials.

The kits police are offering use a sticker and fluid to etch a unique number into the converter. The number burns into the catalytic converter after it heats up.

Whether using a kit or doing it yourself, a thief could always scratch off the numbers, but police will be working to crack down on that as well.

Catalytic converter replacement can range from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, according to Advance Auto Parts.

In December, Wichita Deputy Chief Jose Salcido called the thefts a “gold rush” and blamed a state “law (that) has no teeth.” Under the state law, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office is responsible for enforcing that businesses register and report seller information to a statewide database..

The legislation that created the database — maintained by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and enforced by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office — for years had parts that were either underfunded or suspended before being brought up to snuff in July 2020, the AG’s office previously said.

In June, he said there are transactions still not being logged, but the process is starting to have a “little more order.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 4:40 PM.