Texas state senators from Houston and Galveston recently filed bills that would mandate greater penalties for catalytic converter theft. They would prohibit the possession of a converter by unauthorized entities and make the theft itself a felony. The text of SB 465, filed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston is here and

the text of SB 432 filed by Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston is here.

 

Catalytic converter thefts were reported at record levels during 2021 and 2022. Last spring, an off duty Harris County deputy was killed when he allegedly tried to stop the theft of his catalytic converter (see story).

 

Within its city limits, Shenandoah had an average of 1.5 such thefts per week during the period from June 2021 to June 2022, although those numbers have been headed downward over the last few months.

 

Shenandoah Police Chief Troye Dunlap said he believes making converter theft a felony would deter some criminal behavior, but not eliminate the issue. “I do think it is a positive step in the direction we should go, along with manufacturers being required to put VIN numbers on the catalytic converters. The last arrest that Houston Police Department made that involved a major criminal ring definitely helped and we have seen a significant decrease in catalytic converter thefts.”

 

Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton represents the area which includes Shenandoah and can be reached at 512-463-0104.