Riley County Police are seeing a rise in thefts of catalytic converters.
Police say it’s likely due to the more than quadruple rise in the price of palladium, a precious metal found in catalytic converters. Thieves can remove these elements from a vehicle’s exhaust system in less than one minute and sell it for up to $1,000 apiece.
Hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius with low emissions, use more palladium and the part is also more easily accessible due to its location on the vehicle.
RCPD recommends the following:
*parking in a garage or well lit area.
*engrave your VIN number into your catalytic converter
*install a car alarm to detect car vibration
*install a catalytic converter lock device
