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Thieves target cars at Greenfield Village in stealing catalytic converters
Halloween at the Henry Ford attracts families from across the Detroit Metro area. But this week, thieves targeted cars in the parking lot to steal catalytic converters.
DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - Families at Hallowe'en at Greenfield Village enjoyed themselves inside the Henry Ford Museum's outdoor exhibits but returned to their vehicles to find they were missing a key component to their car: their catalytic converter.
The thefts of catalytic converters are on the rise in Metro Detroit and Dearborn Police Corporal Dan Bartok said this is not just a Dearborn issue.
"This was not isolated to one location in the city of Dearborn," he said.
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Catalytic converters are still very valuable and relatively easy for the thieves to steal and then sell at scrapyards for cash.
"They saw off the device and they take it and they sell it for the precious metals that are in the device itself," Bartok said. "Unfortunately there is money to be made for it but what we are trying to do is focus on is preventing this from happening."
The Henry Ford will be beefing up security in the coming days and say the safety of their guest is the top priority.
There are some elaborate ways to keep your catalytic converter from being stolen but the corporal says there are some more affordable ways to protect yourself too.
"Some of it involves etching the item itself there are devices that can be installed over it, that kind of stuff takes a lot of effort and time and we understand that," Bartok said.
By etching, he means putting your car's VIN number on the catalytic converter or using automotive exhaust spray paint to make them less desirable for thieves.
Either way - consult a mechanic first.
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The simplest thing to do is park in well-lit areas, if possible, and close to the entrance of where you're going.
"If we eliminate that opportunity or make it more difficult for the bad guy hopefully they're going to move on," Bartok said.