Thieves Seem to Have Moved on, Rates Drop for the First Time in Years
By Keemia Zhang and Dolores Quintana
The most recent claims data from insurance company State Farm has indicated a substantial decline in catalytic converter theft. Perhaps local municipal governments and police departments’ attempts at making it more difficult to sell these parts have made a difference. The Los Angeles Police Department, Beverly Hills Police Department, and Culver City Police Departments have all held catalytic converter etching events in an attempt to make the parts less tempting for thieves.
Following years of surges in theft, particularly across Southern California, the nation’s largest insurer of automobiles has found that comparatively fewer claims for the crime were filed in the first half of this year, from January to June, than last year.
An estimated 14,500 insurance claims were filed in 2023, 5,400 of them in California, compared to 23,000 in 2022 – the first decrease since 2019. However, approximately $17.8 million has been paid to customers for car repair and part replacement this year, with the average claim amounting to $3,300.
National catalytic converter theft jumped at the onset of the pandemic, increasing from 2,500 claims to 10,000 claims from 2019 to 2020 alone. California takes the top spot on the list of states with the most catalytic converter thefts, but if the data remains similar for the rest of the year, it faces a decrease of 1,100 claims from the previous year.
State Farm encouraged, via a press release, drivers to remain cautious, park inside garages, install alarm systems, remain in the vicinity of security cameras, and engrave their VIN on their car’s catalytic convertor.
