TACOMA, Wash. — Tacoma police hope to combat the rise in catalytic converter thefts with an event coming up next month.
The Tacoma Police Department (TPD), in partnership with Titus-Will Toyota and Simmons Automotive, is hosting a catalytic converter etching service on Nov. 18, 2022, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Each vehicle will have an identification number etched onto the catalytic converter, which can be paired with the vehicle if stolen and recovered.
TPD also will provide High Heat Resistant Paint to mark the location of the engraving and a window decal showing the vehicle is "Tagged and Protected."
The initiative is part of the nationwide Project CATCON ID, as thefts of catalytic converters both locally and nationally have spiked.
Beaverton, Ore. police recovered more than 3,000 stolen catalytic converters in August as part of an investigation that began in 2021.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau found that the number of catalytic converter thefts increased more than 1,000% between 2018 and 2020.
House Bill 1815 went into effect in Washington on July 1, which bans the cash sale of catalytic converters and creates a workgroup to study long-term solutions for limiting thefts. Sales now only can be completed in the state with checks three days after the initial sale.
Other western Washington cities including Everett, Bellevue and Renton have held similar events to put identification numbers onto individual catalytic converters.
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