Froedtert West Bend Hospital issued the following announcement on Feb 16.
Catalytic converters can contain rhodium, palladium and platinum, which are among the most precious metals
Milwaukee police say catalytic converter thefts are up more than 500% from 2019.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee have been targeted multiple times.
At John the Muffler Man on Wells Street, management said they replace stolen catalytic converters on 20 to 30 cars a week.
"What makes a catalytic converter so expensive and valuable?" WISN 12 News reporter Caroline Reinwald asked.
"Metals inside the converter. There's two metals in there worth three times the price of gold," shop manager Trevor Williams said.
Sometimes, the metals can cost more than that.
Rhodium, palladium and platinum are among the most precious metals. Each of them can be found in catalytic converters.
"At $4,000 an ounce, it probably takes 10, 15 converters to get to that, but that's where they're paying the money for it," Williams said.
It is why thieves target easy to reach catalytic converters such as the ones found under transport vans the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee uses to pick up children.
A spokesperson with the nonprofit confirmed that since December, thieves stole catalytic converters from seven of their vans, costing them more than $17,000 out of pocket to replace.
"The ones they're stealing, it's taking them five minutes to cut, and they're gone," Williams said.
Milwaukee police say in 2019, they had 190 reported stolen catalytic converters.
In 2021, thefts shot up 524% to nearly 1,200 reported stolen.
Police said the thieves take the converters to adjoining states, where they can get more money for the metals because the laws for resale are less stringent.
They suggest installing an anti-theft device, parking in a secure enclosed area and etching the car's VIN and license number into the converter to make it easy to trace if stolen.
The Boys and Girls Club is now partnering with Milwaukee Public Schools to avoid future thefts.
The district is letting them park their vans in a secure location from now on.
"Several of our Agency vans used to transport Club members to and from activities have had their catalytic converters stolen," a spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee said. "To prevent further thefts, Milwaukee Public Schools graciously offered to store some of our vans at a secure location on their property. We are very grateful to MPS and expect this new plan will minimize the issues we have been experiencing."
Original source can be found here.
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