Palm Springs Police provide tips to prevent catalytic converter theft

Palm Springs Police says catalytic converter theft is a significant problem in the valley. PSPD reports it has seen a recent surge in these thefts and has investigated multiple incidents over the past month.

In an Instagram post, PSPD said one specific type of vehicle being targeted is the Toyota pickup truck, while in October, the car of interest was the Toyota Prius. The social post said, "However, thieves aren't picky about the types of vehicles they target. These thefts are crimes of opportunity."

The post says a catalytic converter can cost up to $4,000 to replace. Thieves target it because it contains expensive metals, has a street value of up to $250, and removal can take less than a minute.

Here are some theft prevention tips from PSPD:

• Park in a garage or a well-lit area
• Engrave your VIN into your catalytic converter
• Install a catalytic converter protection device
• Have extra metal welded to your exhaust system, which makes it difficult to remove