LANCASTER, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) – The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is finding new ways to fight against the Catalytic Converter Theft in the Lancaster area.
The Sheriff’s Office is working with businesses in the area mark the converters on vehicles in hope to deter the theft of the converters, and if stolen making them detectable. The Department is providing heat pens, at no cost, to businesses that will place a marking unique to the vehicles onto the catalytic converter.
Sheriff’s Barry Faile said, “We hope the knowledge that converters might be marked will deter thieves. If we locate a marked converter and can trace its movements, we can likely arrest the person who stole it or possessed it after it was stolen. We appreciate the help of the businesses who signed up for this program, and I encourage customers having their vehicles worked on at these businesses to have their catalytic converters marked for free.”
Faile says other ways to deter thieves is to park in well lighted and secured areas and by installing security cameras. He says to check vehicles frequently for signs of tampering or theft and immediately report damage to vehicles and suspicious activity.
The participating businesses are listed below.
- 803 Muffler & Brakes, 1253 Lynwood Drive, Lancaster
- AAA Insurance & Travel, 9737 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
- A Lube Will Do, 1006 Fort Mill Highway, Indian Land
- Burns Ford, 2001 Charlotte Highway, Lancaster
- Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, 8455 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
- Fast Lube & Auto, 1723 Springdale Road, Lancaster
- Goodyear Gemini Auto Service Center, 9798 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
- H & H Chevrolet, 7491 Kershaw Camden Highway, Kershaw
- Havoline Xpress Lube, 1221 Highway 9 ByPass West, Lancaster
- Havoline Xpress Lube, 9751 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
- Lancaster Motor Company, 1616 Charlotte Highway, Lancaster
- Mavis Tire, 161 Jim Wilson Road, Indian Land
- Meineke Car Care, 8795 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
- Mosteller Automotive & Alignment, 514 Mosteller Drive, Lancaster
- NTB (National Tire, Brake & Battery), 2625 World Reach Drive, Indian Land
- Tuffy Auto Service, 9909 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
- Wally’s Muffler & Brake, 1587 Lynwood Drive, Lancaster
- Woodie Enterprises, Inc., 9528 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
Catalytic Converter Theft Prevention and Identification
The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with several businesses in the county to mark catalytic converters on vehicles to deter the theft of the converters and make them identifiable if they are stolen and recovered. The sheriff’s office has provided heat pens to these businesses who have agreed to mark customers’ converters with the customers’ permission. There is no cost to the owners of the vehicles. When a vehicle is being serviced or repaired, the shop will use a heat pen to affix to the catalytic converter markings unique to the vehicle.
“This is a great tool in our effort to stem the theft of catalytic converters,” said Sheriff Barry Faile. “We hope the knowledge that converters might be marked will deter thieves. If we locate a marked converter and can trace its movements, we can likely arrest the person who stole it or possessed it after it was stolen. We appreciate the help of the businesses who signed up for this program, and I encourage customers having their vehicles worked on at these businesses to have their catalytic converters marked for free.”
Other measures to prevent the theft of catalytic converters include parking in a secure, well lighted, heavily traveled area and installing security cameras. Check vehicles frequently for signs of tampering or theft and immediately report damage to vehicles and suspicious activity.
The participating businesses are listed below.
803 Muffler & Brakes, 1253 Lynwood Drive, Lancaster
AAA Insurance & Travel, 9737 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
A Lube Will Do, 1006 Fort Mill Highway, Indian Land
Burns Ford, 2001 Charlotte Highway, Lancaster
Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, 8455 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
Fast Lube & Auto, 1723 Springdale Road, Lancaster
Goodyear Gemini Auto Service Center, 9798 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
H & H Chevrolet, 7491 Kershaw Camden Highway, Kershaw
Havoline Xpress Lube, 1221 Highway 9 ByPass West, Lancaster
Havoline Xpress Lube, 9751 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
Lancaster Motor Company, 1616 Charlotte Highway, Lancaster
Mavis Tire, 161 Jim Wilson Road, Indian Land
Meineke Car Care, 8795 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
Mosteller Automotive & Alignment, 514 Mosteller Drive, Lancaster
NTB (National Tire, Brake & Battery), 2625 World Reach Drive, Indian Land
Tuffy Auto Service, 9909 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
Wally’s Muffler & Brake, 1587 Lynwood Drive, Lancaster
Woodie Enterprises, Inc., 9528 Charlotte Highway, Indian Land
Anyone with information about this or any other case should call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 803-283-3388 or contact Midlands Crimestoppers in one of the following ways: dial 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372), log onto www.midlandscrimestoppers.com and click on the “Submit a Tip” tab, or download the P3 Tips App for Apple or Android devices.
