Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Robert McCarrie Chabot cadet Kieth Austin talks to senior safety officer Lin Zuidema during a routine patrol Wednesday afternoon.

Making easy money, even if it's not legit, has always been alluring.

The people who choose to make money illegally are getting a lot more creative.

Recently, Chabot College as well as the greater Bay Area, has been experiencing a surge of component thefts right out from underneath plainly parked vehicles.

A car's catalytic converter, called a CAT for short, is a lightly welded piece of equipment between the car's engine and muffler.

It filters certain toxins out of exhaust and into concentrated precious metals before they can enter the atmosphere.

Currently, knowledge regarding the monetary value of these filtered metals is becoming more widespread, leading to an increase in CAT thefts.

Thieves and theft victims alike are becoming well versed in the important role that a catalytic converter serves on an automobile.

Thieves need a source to sell the stolen CATs to, and a steady source to pilfer them from.

Victims of CAT theft may awaken one day, or return to their car after classes, to find that the decibel output of their engine has increased tenfold due to a breach in their engine-muffler exhaust chain.

Here at Chabot, at least two people have been apprehended while attempting to remove CATs from vehicles in our parking lots.

One of the suspects arrested by Hayward Police, is a Chabot student.

Although there is no official number on how many CATs have been stolen regionally, muffler auto body shops have definitely felt an increase in demand for new converters.

The demands come in waves, as thieves will generally hit a whole area in one night.

Some body shops have clued in on this and will put in an extra effort and weld the whole converter to your car in order to prevent future thefts.

Converters, which can cost a victim upwards of $250 to replace, can be easily detached by crawling under a vehicle and being cut off.

The precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium, normally can be sold for between $20 or $60.

Some trucks and older vehicles, which have been collecting exhaust for longer periods of time, have a higher concentration of metals and can sell for slightly more.

Chabot Campus Safety has issued a bulletin warning people about CAT thefts since several students and faculty members have had their cars victimized.

If you notice anything suspicious going on, call Campus Safety at 723-6923, call 911, or dial 6666 from any campus phone.

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