Hawai‘i Police Department is offering tips on keeping your car safe in light of a recent uptick in the theft of catalytic converters in East Hawaii. So far this year there have been 29 reported incidents in the Hilo and Puna districts involving thefts of converters with six of the reports being attempted thefts. In some of the cases, multiple converters were stolen during the same incident. Of the 29 reported incidents, 36 catalytic converters were removed from vehicles.

What is a Catalytic Converter?

Catalytic converters are a key component of a car’s emissions system, reducing the amount of harmful pollution going out the tailpipe.

What Makes A Catalytic Converter So Valuable?

Thieves target these devices because they contain precious metals such as platinum and palladium that are valuable to scrap metal dealers and because they are easily accessible and lack identifying markings. The prices of these already valuable metals have quickly increased by hundreds of dollars an ounce in recent years.

How Can You Prevent Catalytic Converter Theft?

• Park in well-lit areas.
• Park close to building entrances or the nearest road in public parking lots. This leaves your car in a location where many people can see it.
• If you have a personal garage, keep your car parked inside with the door shut.
• Add video surveillance to the area where you regularly park your car.
• Install a catalytic converter-specific security device, or have it welded to the car frame. You can also engrave your car’s VIN number to the catalytic converter.
• Report all suspicious activity to police.

Police ask that anyone with information about these thefts or with information about anyone receiving stolen items call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

Big Island Thieves would also like to add ” a good ass whooping if catch the thieves” to this list.