The Colorado Legislature has passed a bill seeking to address an alarming increase in catalytic converter thefts.
On May 4, the state House gave final approval to Senate Bill 9, which targets so-called motor vehicle “chop shops” dealing in stolen parts and commodity metals.
The law requires anyone who acquires five or more vehicles for spare parts within a year to report within five days to the national vehicle title information system.
The bill includes vehicles acquired for “dismantling, wrecking, shredding, compacting, crushing, or otherwise destroying vehicles for reclaimable parts or scrap metals, including catalytic converters.”
According to the Colorado Theft Prevention Authority, thefts of catalytic converters that contain valuable commodity metals such as platinum rose 5,000 percent from 2019 to 2021.
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