MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office and Moultrie Police Department warn citizens of an increase in thefts of catalytic converters. 

“It’s so easy. A saw and they’re gone in less than five minutes,” MPD Investigator Timmy Barnes stated. 

A catalytic converter is part of a vehicle’s exhaust system that converts toxic emissions from the engine into less-toxic gases before releasing them into the air. They contain platinum and palladium, and Barnes said that’s what the thieves are after.

“They can sell them for anywhere between $50 and $300,” he said.

According to independent research done by The Observer, the size, make and age of the converter has the greatest impact on the pricing.

“The percentage of each precious metal used in a particular catalytic converter is generally added up as well as the miles affecting the ‘cat,’” said an article published on converterguys.com, a website dedicated to educating, cataloging and the independent sale of catalytic converters.

Since the beginning of the year, local law enforcement has been facing an increased rate of these thefts. They say the problem stems from the ease of the theft and difficulty to track them once they’ve been taken. 

“At the beginning you saw bigger vehicles like trucks and vans being targeted,” said Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Blake Livings. “It then moved to vehicles that were broken down or abandoned. Now they’re doing it in broad daylight.”

There are some roadblocks that local law enforcement has put into place to hinder the sale of these converters.

“We’ve been working with local sellers to identify converters that are more than likely stolen,” said Livings. “If they’re cut a certain way or obviously cut crudely, these are marks that usually indicate the converter has been stolen.”

To sell any converter to a shop, a person must present a valid ID before a sale can be made. But Barnes said that this hasn’t stopped many people.

“Most offenders usually won’t sell the converter themselves. They usually will see an online ad on things like Facebook Marketplace or bring it into a shop and have someone not connected to the crime make the sale. Then they just split the cash,” Barnes stated.

Once the converter has been taken from the vehicle, there is little law enforcement can do to track or even identify the converter as stolen, according to Livings.

“Most people don’t even realize that a converter has been stolen until they crank up their car and hear something’s off,” said Livings. “It costs more to replace a converter than what the people who are taking it off the car are going to get for it. … Vehicles don’t have markings or serial numbers on the converters. The best you can do is match the same make but that doesn’t narrow down the vehicles.”

Local law enforcement has made some headway on arrests but most of these are individuals who were caught in the act of trying to steal the converters.

“We recently had someone who had called about someone underneath their vehicle at about 5 a.m. When the officer had responded, they claimed to have been paid to ‘work on the vehicle.’ Cameras and a secure area are the best thing,’” said Barnes. 

Individuals are not the sole targets of thieves, according to Livings and Barnes. Temple Baptist Church, Trinity Baptist Church, Lakeside Assembly, Robert Hutson’s Auto, Wilson’s Auto and the Ellenton Clinic have all been affected by the thefts.

Barnes stated that many of the offenders “are all in a pretty tight circle.”

“The main perpetrators are usually drug users,” he said. “The thing about these people is they all pretty much know each other. If we can catch one they usually know one or two others they’re willing to give up or have other useful information.”

Converter thefts are also somewhat difficult to hold a suspect on. The only “significant” charge law enforcement can place on suspects is a criminal damage of property in the second degree, which is a felony in Georgia. 

“We can hit them with a theft charge but that’s just a misdemeanor. We can give them a criminal damage charge but it’s only a short term fix,” said Barnes.

The MPD and CCSO advise every citizen to “stay vigilant.”

“Besides keeping vehicles in a secure area, citizens can just stay vigilant. Even if you think they’re working on their own car, reach out and have us check them out. If it’s nothing then it’ll stay nothing,” said Barnes.

Livings agreed, stating, “The more eyes we have out there, the safer people will be.”