Minnesota Police Department Offers Free Catalytic Converter ID

Catalytic converter theft isn't something new as people have been stealing them for years.  It was about 12 years ago that I remember was the first time someone I knew had one stolen and it was as recent as a year ago a company I worked for had multiple issues with theft on work trucks.

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People steal catalytic converters to turn around and sell them for the precious metals inside which can be worth a lot of money.

Depending on the ride height of the vehicle they generally don't take long for a thief to remove, and most thefts happen at night when the vehicle owner is sound asleep.  I've seen some crafty determent setups from people like welding cages around them for example to make it harder for someone to cut off.

Companies like Mastergard make labels that will etch a unique ID into your catalytic converter to help deter theft.  While this might not stop every thief, it may make some think twice and might even be what gets them caught if they attempt to sell it.

Currently the Duluth Police Department is offering these labels for free while supplies last:

They are simple enough for some individuals to install on their own and incredibly easy for a mechanic to throw on for you too.

It won't prevent all thefts of catalytic converters but for free, it's something to consider to possibly keep yours out of sticky fingers and save you the money of having to buy a new one.