District’s Police Department, CTE Students Hold Successful Paint Catalytic Converters Event

Disponible en: Español

The Aldine Independent School District’s Police Department held its fourth free catalytic converter etching event of the school year. It is happy to report it was a success, with nearly 80 vehicles participating.

The AISDPD collaborated with career and technical education (CTE) students on August 26. They began at 10 a.m., etching VINs onto the catalytic converters of vehicles that showed up to the event. A total of 79 cars participated, with owners hoping thieves would be deterred from victimizing area citizens and staff and stealing their catalytic converters. The event ran until 2 p.m.

Sgt. Jeffery McGowen said Aldine and its communities are not immune to the rash of thefts happening across the country. Criminals are stealing catalytic converters and selling them for the precious metals found inside. It leaves victims paying thousands of dollars in replacement and repair fees. The AISDPD is working to make it harder for thieves to unload the stolen devices by marking them with paint and etching VINs. Salvage yards know they will face criminal penalties if they buy marked and stolen catalytic converters.

“No vehicle is safe from these thieves,” said Sgt. Jeffery McGowen. “They have no regard for the time and money they’re costing local victims.”

One such victim is an employee from a district campus whose catalytic converters had been stolen twice from her husband’s Toyota Tacoma truck. She had only recently gotten the truck out of the shop when she saw the Stop the Hurt, Paint the Convert event posting and email.

We are grateful for the partnership with Texas Gulf Coast Crime Prevention, JED’s Hardware, and CTE students, who helped the citizens by sponsoring, etching, painting, and protecting the vehicles of so many of our citizens.

Since the AISDPD began to host these events, Officer Ariel Holliday has partnered with multiple AISD schools and many student volunteers to paint the catalytic converters free for citizens in the Aldine ISD area.

Hundreds of owners have painted their vehicle converters and had the last eight numbers of the vehicle’s VIN etched into the catalytic converters.