Hollywood Police Take On Thieves Who Steal Catalytic Converters

HOLLYWOOD (CBSMiami) – It only takes a few moments for crooks to get under your car and steal your catalytic converter. They go after them because there's precious metal inside.

Hollywood police are fighting back.

"What the city of Hollywood is doing is were giving, for free to people of the city of Hollywood, these are little catalytic converter stickers," Hollywood Police Officer Christian Lata explained to drivers as he canvassed a parking lot handing out stickers.

They leave an identification number on catalytic converters.

"If they try to remove the sticker," Officer Lata explains, "the sticker has as special chemical on it that actually engraves onto the catalytic converter," he said.

Orinthia Brown got a sticker kit.  Her sister had her catalytic converter stolen.

"Someone jacked it up, went underneath it and took it out," she explained.

G at G Exhaust says he gets about two a day in his shop. Those cats, as they're called, can cost anywhere from $300 to $3,000.

G showed us to apply the sticker you simply place it on the catalytic converter, then brush on a type of sealing liquid.  If someone tries to peel off the sticker, that sealing liquid is left behind, showing an ID number.

For this to work, whoever's buying the cats has to be willing to call it in.

"It'll work if the buyers are actually stepping up to the plate and saying these cats are actually registered," G explained.

Hollywood residents should call police to ask for a sticker kit.  For people in other cities, they should call their local police department to see if they're available in their community.