Wichita City Council approves ordinance to fight catalytic converter thefts

A new city ordinance aims to crack down on the soaring rate of catalytic converter thefts by allowing Wichita police to seize parts they believe to be stolen.

According to police, 1,360 catalytic converters were reported stolen from Wichita vehicles in 2021. This year, there have been nearly 950 thefts so far.

The new ordinance makes it illegal to possess, receive, reuse or collect the parts without proof of ownership or other documentation, including a service order requiring the removal of the part or a letter from the Wichita Police Department allowing possession of the catalytic converter.

The Wichita City Council passed the ordinance unanimously on first read Tuesday.

Police Sergeant Brian Safris told the council that without such an ordinance, law enforcement has struggled to catch scrap metal thieves.

“Thefts often happen at night with no witnesses. Thefts happen in a matter of minutes or even seconds,” Safris said. “When police investigate suspicious possessions of a catalytic converter, the cases are not solvable due to a lack of identifiers on the parts.”

He said the new ordinance would go a long way toward solving cases.

“Now we have the ability to interact with that individual, detain them legally, seize the property if they can’t produce the documentation that are required by the ordinance,” Safris said.

A first offense under the new ordinance would come with up to six months in jail and a fine between $250 and $1,000. Second and subsequent offenses would come with up to a year of jail time and a fine between $500 and $2,500.

The ordinance will have to be approved by the council on second read next week before it can go into effect.

This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 5:27 AM.