SOT: Just had my catalytic converter liberated from my 4X4 Tacoma...., Mother Effers! Options

[zymurgist]

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Dr. Some low life relative of the guy who got your cat, actually stole the Copper

Down Spouts off a Local Church.

It seems to me that if these individuals were introduced to some high velocity lead, the copper theft would soon cease.

[mudfoot76]

It seems to me that if these individuals were introduced to some high velocity lead, the copper theft would soon cease.

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If I catch a fuchin' thief in my house trying to "liberate" something, I will deal with the problem right quick (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/fighting19.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/boom.gif)

[SLITS]

OK know were does it go after the scrap dealer buys them?

They go to a refiner. The refiner decases the unit (takes the ceramic media out the the can) and then processes the media to extract the three metals of interest.

[Dr. Roger]

OK know were does it go after the scrap dealer buys them?

They go to a refiner. The refiner decases the unit (takes the ceramic media out the the can) and then processes the media to extract the three metals of interest.

Ron, do you think the scrap people see or give a crap enough to see a "911" and a phone number stamped in a cat, and actually call the phone number?

Seems unlikely. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) But I could be wrong if the gubment is putting pressure on the scrappers.

[SLITS]

As stated in the previous posts, the police are watching the scrap dealers and instituting rules for purchasing scrap.

Most don't want any trouble with the law and are very careful in what they buy. If the ID on a cat (yes, we look at every one of them) did not match the ID of the person bringing it in, it will be refused and / held for further investigation / the police called.

The people that are stealing them will bring them to the dock a couple at a time. This is immediately suspect, hence the photographs, fingerprinting, etc. If a cat has some sort of ID that would allow us to contact "the true owner", we would do so.

There are still the unscruplous that will buy the material, but then to off it, they have to sell it to someone like us. Refiners don't talk one or two converters ... they want a minimum of a truckload (3000+ pieces / 45K lbs).

Sting operations have been set up to test scrap buyers.

We had a visit from the Railroad Police a month or so ago. Their first question was had we bought any amount of new catalytic converters. Seems thieves were crawling up on the car transports and taking them off new cars. New catalytics throw a BIG RED Flag.

This is not limited to just catalytics. We recently held two rolls of new copper wire and two large manhole type covers made from aluminum diamond plate for 2 weeks until we found out where it was purchased and that it was indeed "scrapped". If we had been unable to verfiy it's status, our on the road buyer had been instructed that it would be loaded on his truck to be returned to where he had acquired the material.