L.A. Law Enforcement Wants Automakers Taking Extra Measures To Deter Catalytic Converter Thefts

With the number of catalytic converters being stolen on the rise, the Los Angeles County District Attorney is looking for ways to deter thieves.

That District Attorney is George Gascón and he has reached out to automakers including Honda, Toyota, Ford, and GM with a request for help in safety measures. The letter reads as follows:

The request made by Gascón aren’t without suggestions. He included two ideas. The first being a generic “safety or defense mechanism” option. The second being markings on each cat to allow tracking and identification if stolen. In theory, they are solid ideas however, they may not be as fool proof as they sound.

You can already go out and buy a Cat Clamp which will tie a catalytic converter to the chassis. However, although it may slow the thief down initially, if they are determined on walking away with the cat, it won’t stop them.

When it comes to custom markings, you not only have that added to production but then require police hunting down individual pieces at scrap yards. Thieves can even take it a step further and hollow out the cat leaving the marked up shell behind to be found by police.

Jason P. Klingensmith from GM seems to have the same thought process being that he responded to the District Attorney with the letter below:

Is there a solution to the theft of parts and catalytic converters, in particular? Possibly. But it won’t be the auto manufacturers that provide it, it seems.