Police cracking down on catalytic converter thefts with spray paint

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - There’s no way to cover it up, catalytic converter thefts are on the rise in metro Richmond, but police believe adding some paint to the underside of your car may help with the issue.

“We are surpassing the total number of reports last year with 592 incidents involving catalytic converters as of Monday,” Cpt. Faith Flippo, with the Richmond Police Department, said.

To put it in perspective, back in 2019, the City of Richmond only had 37 stolen catalytic converters reported stolen.

So far this year, areas like Chesterfield have had 304 converters stolen, Henrico has had 683 converters stolen and Hanover has had 60.

In an attempt to crack down on these thefts, law enforcement agencies are partnering up with Midas of Richmond with a simple solution by spray painting your car’s catalytic converter.

This will create a visible deterrent to alert thieves to move on from your vehicle,” Flippo said.

Police claim if a criminal is looking to harvest your catalytic converter for its valuable materials, it will likely turn them away when they look up at the paint.

If that doesn’t work, garages those thieves sell the converter to be recycled will hopefully also pick up on the trend and notice if one has been stolen based on the paint.

“The idea here is that the recyclers who come to me to buy these cats if they see them painted, that will hopefully stop the flow back upstream for the cats to get remanufactured,” Mark Smith, with Midas Richmond, said. “It’s a great idea and a simple idea. We just need the public to get behind it.”

On the second Sunday for the next three months, five Midas locations around Central Virginia will be working to paint your catalytic converter for free.

It’s a process that takes about 15 minutes but could save you thousands, one that Henrico Police claims is already working.

“Our distinct markings have proved beneficial on more than one occasion as suspects ended up leaving the area due to noticeable markings,” Officer Doug Smart, with the Henrico County Police Department, said. “Our hope is for the trend to continue not only in Henrico County but also in the metro area.”

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