BANGOR, Maine — A new law to prevent the theft of catalytic converters went into effect in Maine on Monday.
Gov. Janet Mills signed the law in April with the intention of making catalytic converters more traceable to, in turn, prevent theft.
Under the new law, any catalytic converter must be engraved with its corresponding car's vehicle identification number if being removed from a car, disposed of, or sold to a recycler, with some exceptions.
When sold or bought, every converter's VIN will be uploaded to a property database.
In gas-powered vehicles, catalytic converters act as exhaust emission control devices. They often contain valuable metals, which make them desirable for thieves.
"So when they turn it in, they obviously have nothing invested ... and they can get anywhere from 200 to 1,200 dollars depending on the year, make, and model of the vehicle," Frank Noyes, owner of The Shop Inc. in Hermon, said.
James Giguere owns a garage in Bangor. He said he's had a handful of converters stolen from his shop just earlier this year, but he's skeptical about the new law.
"They're trying to help with this, but criminals are always one step ahead," Giguere said. "They've already figured out how to get around this law. Now the burden lies on us. We have to engrave these things, take time out of our day, [and] buy the tool to do it."
Detective Corporal Jeffery Galasyn with the Wells Police Department understands Giguere's concerns.
"This is a stepping stone to a better system. Hopefully, this will deter people from stealing them in the first place knowing they are more traceable than they first were," Galasyn explained.
The law is titled L.D. 796, "An Act Governing the Sale, Purchase, Removal, Transport, and Disposal of Catalytic Converters Removed from Motor Vehicles, Governing Scrap Metal Processors and Creating the Motor Vehicle Services Fund."
To read the full law, click here.