– Editor’s Note:
This alert has reached beyond Yelm and is in today’s print and online editions of The Olympian.


– “Yelm Police issue warning after string of catalytic converters are stolen”
“Yelm Police say they’ve responded to several calls in recent days involving the theft of catalytic converters,” by Lisa Pemberton, The Olympian.
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– From the Yelm Police Dept. Facebook page:
“Crime Alert – Over the past several days the Yelm Police Department has responded to several thefts of Catalytic Converters. These converters are on every vehicle that was built after 1975 as a requirement to reduce emissions. Thieves are stealing this particular item due to the value of the metals used to make them. Because the converters—which contain small amounts of valuable metals like platinum, palladium, or rhodium—command a good price as scrap metal, with some converters selling for as much as several hundred dollars. In addition, most converters can be removed within a few minutes.

Be aware and report anyone or anything suspicious. Most of the Thefts have occurred in parking lots in the middle of the day. Across our country, nearly 5,000 converters are stolen every year. Don’t hesitate to call 911 and help us put an end to this problem.”
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