Perhaps fueled by job losses during the pandemic, La Puente residents report an uptick in mentions of thefts of catalytic converters on social media networks such as NextDoor and Facebook.

Catalytic converters, located under all cars, are made of precious metals like palladium and platinum — expensive metals that metal dealers seek out. These thefts aren’t just happening in the city of La Puente but throughout Southern California. More than 8,000 California residents have had their catalytic converter stolen in the first five months of 2021, which is a 33 percent increase from 2020, according to NBC 4.

“It’s scary to think I can wake up in the morning and potentially not have mine. You hear about people getting theirs stolen and you just hope it doesn’t happen to you,” said La Puente resident Ryan Cardenas.

Part of the problem is, it doesn’t take long to steal a catalytic converter. It can be stolen in as little as 30 seconds.

One way of knowing that your catalytic converter is stolen is if it starts making a loud and abnormal sound like a race car.

 Some law enforcement agencies and local cities are helping fight the battle against stolen catalytic converters.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department has daily briefings to identify problem areas that need more patrolling and monitoring.

“We engrave the catalytic converter with your license plate…That deters bad guys from stealing them and if they do steal them we have a way of seeing who they belong to,” Sheriff’s Deputy L. Falcon said in an interview.

The Pasadena Police Department and Long Beach Police Department also have upcoming events to etch engravings on catalytic converters. These can be viewed by typing “catalytic converter etching event” on eventbrite.com.

The etching is done fast, only taking about three minutes and there is no charge. 

But that’s not all you can do to help prevent your catalytic converter from being stolen.

Parking under the bright street, lot, or driveway lights is best as having a security camera capturing activity in the area.

Covers for your catalytic converter could make thieves think twice.

Covers on the low end could cost $100 to 300, depending on your car’s make and model.  Finally, mechanics like Valley Muffler & Auto Services Dionicio Passillas have been thinking out of the box to help his customers.

“What I’ve been doing is trying to fabricate cages for the catalytic converters to cover them” in a more custom way, he said. “People are trying to find different alternatives because they are getting stolen left and right.”

Community News produces stories about under-covered neighborhoods and small cities on the Eastside and South Los Angeles. Please email feedback, corrections and story tips to [email protected].