In San Francisco, the brazen theft of cars' catalytic converters has reached a new low (high?). This week, the San Francisco Police Department experienced a rash of thefts of the catalytic converters from their own marked police vehicles. And it happened right outside a police headquarters. I wonder if the officers called each other to report the crime. From MIssion Local:
"On September 12, 2022 at approximately 1 p.m., a San Francisco Police Officer discovered a marked police truck parked in the area of 16th Street and De Haro Street had its catalytic converter stolen," confirmed the SFPD media relations department. "The officer inspected other police vehicles, and discovered that another marked police truck and two marked police vans also had their catalytic converters stolen." […]
"The people engaging in this activity really don't think much of the police if they think they can steal catalytic converters from the best of us," said an SFPD higher-up.
Catalytic converters loomed large in a recent unflattering article about the department. A pair of Richmond District roommates watched a man sawing a catalytic converter off a car in the wee hours and called 911. They complained to the Chronicle, however, that police declined to detain the suspect, handed him his tools and directed him to the nearest bus stop.
