In three years, catalytic converter thefts increased by 219%. In 2021, more than 2,500 were stolen in the Alberta capital and likely sold elsewhere for the precious metals found inside. A triple set of factors make catalytic converters a prime target: the metals have skyrocketed in value, catalytic converters are relatively easy to steal, and the punishment for thieves who get caught – and, say, charged with possession of stolen goods – is relatively small. “He’s basically out the next day,” Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee said Wednesday as he appealed for help from the public. Speaking in downtown Edmonton, he announced a $50,000 reward to the entrepreneur or entrepreneurs who find a viable method to prevent catalytic converter theft. “The criminal justice solution and arresting people is not the final answer here. We have to look at something different,” he told reporters. “How do you make the ones in front of you very hard to steal? Almost impossible to steal?”
CATALYTIC CONVERSIONS COMPANY
A catalytic converter is a device that converts gases and pollutants in a vehicle’s exhaust into less toxic pollutants. The platinum, palladium and rhodium inside the part are involved in the conversion process. All three metals have seen their value increase in recent years. The most valuable is rhodium. According to gold company Kitco, rhodium doubled in price between 2018 and 2019 to around US$5,500 per ounce. It peaked at around $2,600 per ounce in early 2021 and has recently been trading around $14,000 per ounce. Palladium rose from around $1,300 per ounce in 2019 to over $2,000 per ounce in 2022. In the same years, the price of platinum per ounce rose from about US$800 per ounce to more than $910, briefly touching $1,200 in early 2021. Stolen converters are usually sold to scrap dealers, netting a few hundred dollars for the seller. Meanwhile, vehicle owners spend up to $3,000 to replace the missing part. McFee estimated that catalytic converter theft cost Edmontonians $13 million each year. “For those who say this is not important and doesn’t need to be addressed, I think they’re missing the point,” he commented. They target vehicles and neighborhoods of all kinds, from SUVs to motorhomes. “It’s a crime of opportunity,” McFee said. “The best success at this is actually to remove the opportunity.”
ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
The Edmonton Police Service is asking the public for ideas after failing to curb the trend in any other way, including targeted enforcement and rooting out “key players.” There are some band-aids, such as better video tracking or serializing a converter, but neither saves an Edmontonian the hassle and expense of replacing a stolen converter, McFee pointed out. “Maybe there’s some smart, young, entrepreneur out there — or entrepreneurs — who can come up with a way that can reduce these things just like we did with liquor store thefts and robberies,” the chief said. The Edmonton Police Department has reached out to the public like this in the past. In 2020, facing a 290 percent increase in liquor store thefts, up to $250,000 was awarded as a reward for ideas that could deter thieves. According to McFee, there has been a 95% reduction in theft in the few stores where ID scanners have been installed at the entrances. The project was the brainchild of the local MacEwan University’s Institute for Social Innovation. It was the first so-called challenge of the Edmonton Police Foundation (EPF) Community Solutions Accelerator (CSA) program. “It was the same kind of predicament in the sense that we had tried a lot of things, nothing seemed to work, and so we went full throttle, threw the challenge out there into the world,” recalls EPF president Ashif Mawji. “We had over 200 entries from over 20 countries applying. Even institutions like MIT, graduates from there, had applied.” Submissions for the catalytic converter challenge, the fourth of the CSA program, will be accepted from Wednesday until November 30. It is possible that there will be more than one winner. Full contest rules and guidelines are available online. “Once the solution works and you get your first customer in Edmonton, guess what?” Mauji said. “This is a problem not just in Edmonton… They can sell this solution all over the world. With files from Dave Ewasuk of CTV News Edmonton
title: “Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention Solution Sought By Edmonton Police Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-04” author: “Lindsay Hammers”
In three years, catalytic converter thefts increased by 219%. In 2021, more than 2,500 were stolen in the Alberta capital and likely sold elsewhere for the precious metals found inside. A triple set of factors make catalytic converters a prime target: the metals have skyrocketed in value, catalytic converters are relatively easy to steal, and the punishment for thieves who get caught – and, say, charged with possession of stolen goods – is relatively small. “He’s basically out the next day,” Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee said Wednesday as he appealed for help from the public. Speaking in downtown Edmonton, he announced a $50,000 reward to the entrepreneur or entrepreneurs who find a viable method to prevent catalytic converter theft. “The criminal justice solution and arresting people is not the final answer here. We have to look at something different,” he told reporters. “How do you make the ones in front of you very hard to steal? Almost impossible to steal?”
CATALYTIC CONVERSIONS COMPANY
A catalytic converter is a device that converts gases and pollutants in a vehicle’s exhaust into less toxic pollutants. The platinum, palladium and rhodium inside the part are involved in the conversion process. All three metals have seen their value increase in recent years. The most valuable is rhodium. According to gold company Kitco, rhodium doubled in price between 2018 and 2019 to around US$5,500 per ounce. It peaked at around $2,600 per ounce in early 2021 and has recently been trading around $14,000 per ounce. Palladium rose from around $1,300 per ounce in 2019 to over $2,000 per ounce in 2022. In the same years, the price of platinum per ounce rose from about US$800 per ounce to more than $910, briefly touching $1,200 in early 2021. Stolen converters are usually sold to scrap dealers, netting a few hundred dollars for the seller. Meanwhile, vehicle owners spend up to $3,000 to replace the missing part. McFee estimated that catalytic converter theft cost Edmontonians $13 million each year. “For those who say this is not important and doesn’t need to be addressed, I think they’re missing the point,” he commented. They target vehicles and neighborhoods of all kinds, from SUVs to motorhomes. “It’s a crime of opportunity,” McFee said. “The best success at this is actually to remove the opportunity.”
ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
The Edmonton Police Service is asking the public for ideas after failing to curb the trend in any other way, including targeted enforcement and rooting out “key players.” There are some band-aids, such as better video tracking or serializing a converter, but neither saves an Edmontonian the hassle and expense of replacing a stolen converter, McFee pointed out. “Maybe there’s some smart, young, entrepreneur out there — or entrepreneurs — who can come up with a way that can reduce these things just like we did with liquor store thefts and robberies,” the chief said. The Edmonton Police Department has reached out to the public like this in the past. In 2020, facing a 290 percent increase in liquor store thefts, up to $250,000 was awarded as a reward for ideas that could deter thieves. According to McFee, there has been a 95% reduction in theft in the few stores where ID scanners have been installed at the entrances. The project was the brainchild of the local MacEwan University’s Institute for Social Innovation. It was the first so-called challenge of the Edmonton Police Foundation (EPF) Community Solutions Accelerator (CSA) program. “It was the same kind of predicament in the sense that we had tried a lot of things, nothing seemed to work, and so we went full throttle, threw the challenge out there into the world,” recalls EPF president Ashif Mawji. “We had over 200 entries from over 20 countries applying. Even institutions like MIT, graduates from there, had applied.” Submissions for the catalytic converter challenge, the fourth of the CSA program, will be accepted from Wednesday until November 30. It is possible that there will be more than one winner. Full contest rules and guidelines are available online. “Once the solution works and you get your first customer in Edmonton, guess what?” Mauji said. “This is a problem not just in Edmonton… They can sell this solution all over the world. With files from Dave Ewasuk of CTV News Edmonton
title: “Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention Solution Sought By Edmonton Police Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-04” author: “Steven Arnold”
In three years, catalytic converter thefts increased by 219%. In 2021, more than 2,500 were stolen in the Alberta capital and likely sold elsewhere for the precious metals found inside. A triple set of factors make catalytic converters a prime target: the metals have skyrocketed in value, catalytic converters are relatively easy to steal, and the punishment for thieves who get caught – and, say, charged with possession of stolen goods – is relatively small. “He’s basically out the next day,” Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee said Wednesday as he appealed for help from the public. Speaking in downtown Edmonton, he announced a $50,000 reward to the entrepreneur or entrepreneurs who find a viable method to prevent catalytic converter theft. “The criminal justice solution and arresting people is not the final answer here. We have to look at something different,” he told reporters. “How do you make the ones in front of you very hard to steal? Almost impossible to steal?”
CATALYTIC CONVERSIONS COMPANY
A catalytic converter is a device that converts gases and pollutants in a vehicle’s exhaust into less toxic pollutants. The platinum, palladium and rhodium inside the part are involved in the conversion process. All three metals have seen their value increase in recent years. The most valuable is rhodium. According to gold company Kitco, rhodium doubled in price between 2018 and 2019 to around US$5,500 per ounce. It peaked at around $2,600 per ounce in early 2021 and has recently been trading around $14,000 per ounce. Palladium rose from around $1,300 per ounce in 2019 to over $2,000 per ounce in 2022. In the same years, the price of platinum per ounce rose from about US$800 per ounce to more than $910, briefly touching $1,200 in early 2021. Stolen converters are usually sold to scrap dealers, netting a few hundred dollars for the seller. Meanwhile, vehicle owners spend up to $3,000 to replace the missing part. McFee estimated that catalytic converter theft cost Edmontonians $13 million each year. “For those who say this is not important and doesn’t need to be addressed, I think they’re missing the point,” he commented. They target vehicles and neighborhoods of all kinds, from SUVs to motorhomes. “It’s a crime of opportunity,” McFee said. “The best success at this is actually to remove the opportunity.”
ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
The Edmonton Police Service is asking the public for ideas after failing to curb the trend in any other way, including targeted enforcement and rooting out “key players.” There are some band-aids, such as better video tracking or serializing a converter, but neither saves an Edmontonian the hassle and expense of replacing a stolen converter, McFee pointed out. “Maybe there’s some smart, young, entrepreneur out there — or entrepreneurs — who can come up with a way that can reduce these things just like we did with liquor store thefts and robberies,” the chief said. The Edmonton Police Department has reached out to the public like this in the past. In 2020, facing a 290 percent increase in liquor store thefts, up to $250,000 was awarded as a reward for ideas that could deter thieves. According to McFee, there has been a 95% reduction in theft in the few stores where ID scanners have been installed at the entrances. The project was the brainchild of the local MacEwan University’s Institute for Social Innovation. It was the first so-called challenge of the Edmonton Police Foundation (EPF) Community Solutions Accelerator (CSA) program. “It was the same kind of predicament in the sense that we had tried a lot of things, nothing seemed to work, and so we went full throttle, threw the challenge out there into the world,” recalls EPF president Ashif Mawji. “We had over 200 entries from over 20 countries applying. Even institutions like MIT, graduates from there, had applied.” Submissions for the catalytic converter challenge, the fourth of the CSA program, will be accepted from Wednesday until November 30. It is possible that there will be more than one winner. Full contest rules and guidelines are available online. “Once the solution works and you get your first customer in Edmonton, guess what?” Mauji said. “This is a problem not just in Edmonton… They can sell this solution all over the world. With files from Dave Ewasuk of CTV News Edmonton
title: “Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention Solution Sought By Edmonton Police Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Carl Kelker”
In three years, catalytic converter thefts increased by 219%. In 2021, more than 2,500 were stolen in the Alberta capital and likely sold elsewhere for the precious metals found inside. A triple set of factors make catalytic converters a prime target: the metals have skyrocketed in value, catalytic converters are relatively easy to steal, and the punishment for thieves who get caught – and, say, charged with possession of stolen goods – is relatively small. “He’s basically out the next day,” Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee said Wednesday as he appealed for help from the public. Speaking in downtown Edmonton, he announced a $50,000 reward to the entrepreneur or entrepreneurs who find a viable method to prevent catalytic converter theft. “The criminal justice solution and arresting people is not the final answer here. We have to look at something different,” he told reporters. “How do you make the ones in front of you very hard to steal? Almost impossible to steal?”
CATALYTIC CONVERSIONS COMPANY
A catalytic converter is a device that converts gases and pollutants in a vehicle’s exhaust into less toxic pollutants. The platinum, palladium and rhodium inside the part are involved in the conversion process. All three metals have seen their value increase in recent years. The most valuable is rhodium. According to gold company Kitco, rhodium doubled in price between 2018 and 2019 to around US$5,500 per ounce. It peaked at around $2,600 per ounce in early 2021 and has recently been trading around $14,000 per ounce. Palladium rose from around $1,300 per ounce in 2019 to over $2,000 per ounce in 2022. In the same years, the price of platinum per ounce rose from about US$800 per ounce to more than $910, briefly touching $1,200 in early 2021. Stolen converters are usually sold to scrap dealers, netting a few hundred dollars for the seller. Meanwhile, vehicle owners spend up to $3,000 to replace the missing part. McFee estimated that catalytic converter theft cost Edmontonians $13 million each year. “For those who say this is not important and doesn’t need to be addressed, I think they’re missing the point,” he commented. They target vehicles and neighborhoods of all kinds, from SUVs to motorhomes. “It’s a crime of opportunity,” McFee said. “The best success at this is actually to remove the opportunity.”
ABOUT THE CHALLENGE
The Edmonton Police Service is asking the public for ideas after failing to curb the trend in any other way, including targeted enforcement and rooting out “key players.” There are some band-aids, such as better video tracking or serializing a converter, but neither saves an Edmontonian the hassle and expense of replacing a stolen converter, McFee pointed out. “Maybe there’s some smart, young, entrepreneur out there — or entrepreneurs — who can come up with a way that can reduce these things just like we did with liquor store thefts and robberies,” the chief said. The Edmonton Police Department has reached out to the public like this in the past. In 2020, facing a 290 percent increase in liquor store thefts, up to $250,000 was awarded as a reward for ideas that could deter thieves. According to McFee, there has been a 95% reduction in theft in the few stores where ID scanners have been installed at the entrances. The project was the brainchild of the local MacEwan University’s Institute for Social Innovation. It was the first so-called challenge of the Edmonton Police Foundation (EPF) Community Solutions Accelerator (CSA) program. “It was the same kind of predicament in the sense that we had tried a lot of things, nothing seemed to work, and so we went full throttle, threw the challenge out there into the world,” recalls EPF president Ashif Mawji. “We had over 200 entries from over 20 countries applying. Even institutions like MIT, graduates from there, had applied.” Submissions for the catalytic converter challenge, the fourth of the CSA program, will be accepted from Wednesday until November 30. It is possible that there will be more than one winner. Full contest rules and guidelines are available online. “Once the solution works and you get your first customer in Edmonton, guess what?” Mauji said. “This is a problem not just in Edmonton… They can sell this solution all over the world. With files from Dave Ewasuk of CTV News Edmonton
