SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — Sumter police are seeing catalytic converters theft rising both in their city and across the nation. Detectives tell us people are stealing this device from under cars and selling it for cash.
Jason Banar is a pastor at First Assembly of God. One day, he got a call that something was wrong with the church bus.
"It sounded like a diesel now instead of a regular gas-powered bus," he laughed.
This was because someone had stolen the catalytic converter. It’s a device that helps reduce car exhaust emissions.
"To be honest, I was irritated," he shared. "You know, it’s a church. We try and help people and we try and take care of the things we have. And they came and stole part of that."
In response, Banar posted a message outside.
"Dear thief, repent. The cat con you stole off our bus is not worth eternity in hell," it read.
"It wasn’t meant to be judgmental, it was just to let them know that they’re playing with fire…literally," Banar told me.
According to Sumter Police, people are stealing converters from under vehicles and then selling it for the metals inside.
"They break this stuff down and if you can see it’s got precious metals on the inside of it," Palmetto Tire & Auto technician Josh Rardin told me.
This crime has been increasing in the past few months, according to Detective Brian Niedergall.
"We’re working with other agencies around - not just here in Sumter - but different surrounding agencies to really try and help combat some of this crime," he said. "But we also need help from the public. If you do see something, say something to us. Please call us so we can get officers out there and investigate these crimes."
Niedergall said this applies to anything out of the ordinary, such as seeing someone with flashlights at night tinkering around with a vehicle.
"We’ve seen a lot of our local businesses really been getting hit here in the recent couple months due to the increase in price of metals and things like that," he explained.
As of Monday, 14 converters have been stolen this month in Sumter. There were 20 stolen in July, according to the department.
Luckily, Detective Michael Roberson says there are a few steps you can take to help prevent becoming a victim.
"If you can park a vehicle in a garage, that would be perfect," he said. "And if you don’t have that, parking it in a well-lit, secure area."
Roberson adds that you can also set up security cameras, make sure your car alarm is turned on and install catalytic converter theft protection devices.
"The price of one of those devices to install on your car is much less than replacing a catalytic converter," Roberson said of the protection devices.
Typically, cars that are lower to the ground are at a lower risk of converter theft as opposed to vehicles that are higher up.
"Normally your trucks, SUVs, your bigger vehicles are more susceptible to being targeted, but we have seen other smaller vehicles and other vehicles that have been targeted in this recent trend," Niedergall said.
Roberson added "churches, church buses, vans, something that’s easily accessible" are also at high-risk.
As for Banar and his church: "Been praying for that person though. That they would repent," he said.
In South Carolina, a law passed in 2021 requires businesses to keep records and receipts, including the vehicle identification number (VIN) of cars from which catalytic converters have been removed. This is an attempt to stop the theft and resale of the parts.