Catalytic Converter Theft in Progress? What Houston Drivers Should Do
You Hear a Saw Under a Vehicle. What Do You Do?
You’re inside your Houston-area home, apartment, business, or parking lot when you hear it:
The sound of a saw or power tool underneath a vehicle.
You look outside and realize someone may be trying to steal a catalytic converter.
Your first reaction might be:
“I’m going out there and stopping them.”
Don’t.
A catalytic converter can be replaced. Your life can’t.
If you believe you’re witnessing a catalytic converter theft in progress, your job isn’t to catch the thief. Your job is to stay safe, contact police, and provide useful information without confronting anyone.
1. STAY BACK — DON’T CONFRONT THE THIEF
Never approach someone you suspect is stealing a catalytic converter.
You don’t know if the person is armed, has accomplices nearby, or how they will react when confronted.
Stay inside your home, business, or another secure location whenever possible.
Don’t turn a property crime into a dangerous confrontation.
2. CALL 911
If you believe a catalytic converter theft is actively occurring, call 911 and explain what you’re witnessing.
Be prepared to provide:
- Your exact location
- Description of the suspect or suspects
- Clothing and identifying characteristics
- Description of the targeted vehicle
- Description of the suspects’ vehicle
- Vehicle color, make, and model
- License plate, only if you can see it safely
- Direction of travel if they leave
Follow the dispatcher’s instructions.
3. DON’T CHASE THEM
The thieves realize they’ve been spotted and take off.
Let them go.
Don’t chase them on foot.
Don’t follow them in your vehicle.
Don’t attempt to block their vehicle.
Don’t put yourself or other drivers in danger trying to recover a catalytic converter.
Give police as much information as you safely can and let law enforcement handle the pursuit and investigation.
4. RECORD FROM A SAFE LOCATION
If you can safely record the incident from inside your house, business, or another secure location, photos or video may provide useful information.
But don’t leave a safe location just to get a better camera angle.
If you have security cameras, immediately preserve footage showing:
- The suspects
- Their vehicle
- License plate
- Arrival and departure
- Direction of travel
- The actual theft or attempted theft
Don’t allow important footage to be automatically overwritten.
5. DON’T DISTURB THE SCENE
After the suspects leave, don’t immediately start moving or touching things around the vehicle.
Tools, vehicle parts, or other objects left behind may potentially be useful to investigators.
Wait until law enforcement says it is safe to approach.
6. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING
Once the scene is safe, take detailed photographs of the vehicle.
Photograph the underside, exhaust system, cut pipes, damaged wiring or sensors, and any additional damage you notice.
Keep copies of security footage and write down what you remember while the incident is still fresh in your mind.
7. CONTACT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY
If your catalytic converter was stolen or your vehicle was damaged during an attempted theft, contact your insurance company.
Keep your police report or incident number, photographs, repair estimates, receipts, and security footage available.
Insurance coverage varies, so check directly with your insurance provider regarding your policy.
THEY ONLY NEED ONE OPPORTUNITY
Here’s the problem:
You can’t stand guard over your vehicle 24 hours a day.
You have to sleep.
You have to work.
You have to shop.
You have to eat.
You have to leave your vehicle unattended.
A thief only needs the right opportunity.
Make Your Catalytic Converter a Harder Target
That’s where physical protection becomes important.
ADD Automotive’s ADD A CAT Catalytic Converter Shields are designed to create a physical barrier around vulnerable catalytic converter areas.
Instead of giving a thief easy access underneath the vehicle, the shield puts another obstacle between the thief and the catalytic converter.
A thief looking for a fast, easy target now has another problem to overcome.
More work.
More obstacles.
More time exposed.
More reasons to move on.
No catalytic converter anti-theft product can promise that a determined criminal will never defeat it.
The objective is simple:
MAKE YOUR VEHICLE THE ONE THEY DON’T WANT TO MESS WITH.
Houston: Don’t Wait Until You Hear the Saw
Catalytic converter protection shouldn’t start after your converter has already disappeared.
It should start before the thief ever crawls underneath your vehicle.
Cameras can record a theft.
Lights can illuminate a theft.
An alarm can alert you to a theft.
A physical catalytic converter shield is designed to put an actual barrier between the thief and the converter.
For stronger protection, these measures can also be combined as part of a layered anti-theft strategy.
HEAR A SAW? DON’T BE A HERO.
If you witness a catalytic converter theft in progress, remember:
STAY BACK.
CALL 911.
OBSERVE FROM SAFETY.
DON’T CONFRONT.
DON’T CHASE.
Then ask yourself:
What happens the next time nobody is watching?
That’s why prevention matters.
ADD AUTOMOTIVE — ADD A CAT
Catalytic Converter Shields
Designed to make stealing your catalytic converter a much harder job.
Protect your vehicle before thieves get their opportunity.
ADD A CAT — Put something between the thief and your CAT.
