HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Catalytic converter thefts have plagued every big city in the state but police have recently seen a decline.

Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert said the department is not seeing as many reports of catalytic converter thefts. 

“A lot of crimes of that nature are usually the same group of people doing it,” he said. “We’ve been making arrests for catalytic converter thefts.” 

East Hartford Police Officer Marc Caruso said thefts are down roughly 70 percent since June. 

In Manchester, 162 incidents of stolen converters were reported from January to September 2022. This year during the same time, there have only been 43.  

Police said there are two reasons that could be why this crime is going down. A state law was passed last year prohibiting the sale of a catalytic converter unless it’s still attached to the car or if dealers take detailed information from the seller. 

The other reason, the metals in converters aren’t as valuable as they used to be.

Even though catalytic converter thefts are down, car theft is still a big concern. Hartford police said more than 938 cars were stolen this year from January to the end of October. That’s almost double from the same time in 2022. 

To protect yourself, police advise you to not leave your key inside the car and always lock your car.