Crime Stoppers is offering rewards to help fight a wave of catalytic converter thefts across Wichita.

Wichita police are reporting more than $1-million in damages from converter thefts this year, up from $289,000 in all of 2019. Thieves can sell stolen catalytic converters to scrap dealers for more money compared to other metals, because of precious metals that are used in the converters themselves.

To help catch the people behind the thefts, Crime Stoppers is offering $1000 for information that leads to a felony arrest, or $100 for info that leads to a misdemeanor arrest. “Catalytic converter thefts can cost individuals and businesses thousands of dollars, and these crimes put people in financial hardships,” said Henry Donaldson, Crime Stoppers Chairperson. “This is our way of showing the community how serious we are about this issue.”

Under current laws, scrap dealers are allowed to buy catalytic converters as long as they follow state statutes that are in place. This includes requirements to keep photos and records of items being sold. Because this is covered under a state law, Wichita is not able to create any specific ordinances to deal with the issue.

“Because we are faced with so many obstacles, we are reaching out to our community to ask them to provide us with necessary and valuable information,” said Sgt. Trevor McDonald, supervisor of the WPD Larceny Section. “If we can find out who is accepting these stolen converters and who is not playing by the rules, we will be on a path to bring the high numbers of stolen converters down.”

If you have information, you’ve got the following options to make a report:

• Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 316-267-2111
• Submit a tip by downloading the FREE P3 app; or
• Submit a tip online at www.wichitasedgwickcountycrimestoppers.com

All tips are anonymous and no one will ever ask the tipster’s name. Crime Stoppers is a division of the non-profit Wichita Metro Crime Commission.