An ordinance from the City of Wichita was proposed that aims to crack down on catalytic converter thefts. These cases can be difficult solve since catalytic converters can’t be traced.
The proposed ordinance would allow Wichita Police to investigate and charge suspicious accumulation of catalytic converters, as well as officers to seize catalytic converters from people who cannot explain how they came into possession of them. The city did say that the ordinance will allow protection for people who came into possession of the part legitimately, including people who own the vehicle, can provide proof of purchase or permission from police to temporarily possess the part, or those who are licensed metal dealers.
Previous attempts to solve the problem by encouraging people to engrave an identifier to the catalytic converter have not been successful. Catalytic converters thefts drastically increased from 187 in 2019 to 1,360 in 2021.
