Officials with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District are reviewing surveillance footage after individuals allegedly stole catalytic converters out of 35 buses.
The buses were parked in the East 49th Street Depot located in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio, News 5 Cleveland reported Monday.
A spokesperson with the district explained the thefts happened Sunday or Monday. The individuals got into the depot by slashing a hole in the fence.
“The district discovered the thefts Monday morning and said the thefts impacted service to 12 public and private schools, which serves about 200 students. Other buses covered routes, but in some cases, pickups were delayed or parents had to transport their children to school,” the article read.
The outlet said it reported extensively on the increase in thefts of catalytic converters which included those stolen from local charity groups and daycares.
“In Streetsboro, News 5 reported thieves took catalytic converters from three of the city’s SUVs overnight on Veterans Day,” the report said.
Such thefts were on the rise this year, across the nation and in Ohio, the Columbus Dispatch reported in September.
However, Rep. Bob Young (R-Green) was working to ensure the stolen catalytic converters do not end up being sold for a profit.
He introduced House Bill 408 that would ban the sale of the car parts with no proof of ownership.
Young’s office said in a news release the bill was supposed to “protect consumers from catalytic converter theft and create more transparent guidelines for businesses.”
“Currently under the law, there is no accountability on these stolen items and they are easily taken from people’s vehicles. It’s my hope with this bill that we stop the sales of these converters to help our consumers, businesses and environment,” Young explained.
“Catalytic converter theft harms businesses, individuals, insurance companies, the environment, and puts an undue burden on law enforcement,” he added.
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