(From a press release)

A catalytic converter etching event Being held at Thompson Toyota on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Please join District Attorney Jennifer Schorn, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Auto Theft Unit and our auto theft prevention partners at a catalytic converter etching event, being held on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Thompson Toyota at 122 W. Swamp Road in Doylestown.

During this event, auto theft investigators will place and permanently etch a unique serial code number on the catalytic converters of dozens of vehicles. The serial code will then be entered into a database, which will allow law enforcement to trace the converter if it is stolen and later recovered.

This office has hosted similar events bringing this unique tool to deter catalytic converter thefts to the region.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Auto Theft Unit will be joined at this event by our partners in auto theft prevention: the Pennsylvania Auto Crime Investigators Association (PACIA), the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Pennsylvania State Police, the Attorney General’s Office and representatives from multiple insurance companies.

The theft of catalytic converters is a serious matter to law enforcement.

This effort builds upon the successful dismantling by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office Auto Theft Unit of a multi-million-dollar organized criminal enterprise that specialized in the theft of catalytic converters throughout the Delaware Valley region. The nearly yearlong investigation, led by the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, resulted in the charging of a Philadelphia tow yard, along with 10 adult individuals and one juvenile. Three dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies assisted in this incredible case.

Since filing charges catalytic converter thefts have decreased over 60% in many parts of the greater Philadelphia area.