(Hillsboro) Not only are vehicle thefts and stealing from unlocked vehicles on the rise in Jefferson County, so are the removing and stealing of catalytic converters from vehicles. Grant Bissell is the Public Safety Information Coordinator for the Sheriff’s Department. He says most thefts are taking place closer to the major roadways.

Bissell says there was a recent case in which a subject was very bold in removing the part from a vehicle during the daytime.

Many of the subjects are removing and stealing catalytic converters from four-wheel-drive vehicles, and vehicles that sit high off the ground that provide easy access to the undercarriage. Catalytic converter thieves have even targeted school bus garages and other businesses with a large number of fleet vehicles and work trucks parked in one location.

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