What proof is there that a cat is stolen ?
Maine's requiring VIN etching onto catalytic converters
- Thread starter eljefino
- Start date
It would be helpful for some folks to learn the difference between "reasonable suspicion", "probable cause", and "proof".
Hint: Probable cause is the legal standard for an arrest.
"Probable cause for arrest exists when facts and circumstances known by the police officer would lead a reasonable person to believe that the suspect has committed, is committing, or is attempting to commit a crime."
My comment was that stolen cats (or any property for that matter) are illegal to have possession of, nothing more. If they are proven to be stolen, then they are illegal to possess.
It won't. They will simply find a way to sell the core and/or extract the metals.
A new vehicle part in the cycle, that's all. Remember when VIN numbers started to appear on body parts, fenders, hoods, etc.? So LEO's could check parts recyclers for stolen stuff and proper docs for those parts. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Or the glass etching thing for vehicles that was mostly a scam.
There should be stiff penalties for cat thieves but I enjoy buying junkers (legally) and selling the cats legally
Laws like this just strive to also turn honest people into criminals. By some of the reasoning in this thread if I cut the cats out of a non-running vehicle I legally own and the cats aren't etched I'm instant-criminal.
More useless laws that really won't solve the problem. The law is aimed more at a single person stealing a convertor and bringing it to a scrap yard, which isn't the issue at all. Most scrap yards (at least in my area) don't even accept cat convertors anymore from people walking in.
When my sister had hers sawed off her Acura TL, she called the police and they stated 600 convertors had been stolen in the area that night. That isn't one or two guys, that is an organized crime ring. The news article a few months ago about the crime ring that was busted said that within 24 hours of being cut off the car, the convertors were likely out of the country. I doubt the cartel on the receiving end of the convertors is going to be stopped by a VIN etched into the outside of them.
When my sister had hers sawed off her Acura TL, she called the police and they stated 600 convertors had been stolen in the area that night. That isn't one or two guys, that is an organized crime ring. The news article a few months ago about the crime ring that was busted said that within 24 hours of being cut off the car, the convertors were likely out of the country. I doubt the cartel on the receiving end of the convertors is going to be stopped by a VIN etched into the outside of them.
It's simply politicians cashing in on a crisis and promising to pass laws that in the end will do nothing, but it is likely to win them votes for next elections.
But this thread is a good example of just how many people think more laws is the answer to every problem.
But this thread is a good example of just how many people think more laws is the answer to every problem.
It's a good thing criminals follow laws.
Exactly lol.It's a good thing criminals follow laws.
What's not funny though is that it will make it harder and more expensive for the law abiding citizens and buisnesses to properly handle and recycle these catalytic converters. And then people wonder why things get off-shored to other countries
Naw. All this does is add another hurdle for unscrupulous recycler to avoid. A recycler holding a bin full of cats with filed VINs can't claim plausible deniability. The VIN adds another data point for ownership. Recyclers I'm some states are already required to obtain ID and fingerprints whenever someone drops off a cat.Exactly lol.
What's not funny though is that it will make it harder and more expensive for the law abiding citizens and buisnesses to properly handle and recycle these catalytic converters. And then people wonder why things get off-shored to other countries
ID and fingerprint? I could not believe you and had to look it up. That is insane.
What’s even more insane IMO is people acting like this is absolutely acceptable.
And despite these laws, California has the fingerprints, ID, photos of the vehicle etc, the cat converter thefts over there are at all time high and they have been well before COVID too.
How exactly all of that helped? And you want more laws passed?
What was that definition of insanity again?
Well a huge nationwide ring was busted and it involved some individuals in California so perhaps it did help.
Justice Department Announces Takedown of Nationwide Catalytic Converter Theft Ring
Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from across the United States executed a nationwide, coordinated takedown today of leaders and associates of a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors for their roles in conspiracies involving stolen catalytic converters sold to a...
www.justice.gov
Maybe it's just me, but for a program or a set of laws to be considered "effective" I would expect the overall statistics for that particular crime to go down over a period of time, not showing a bust here or there, waving is as some sort of a carrot. Would that be too much to ask?
How about remove the law that you can't shoot thieves on sight?
That might help curb the problem.Similar threads
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