Dear Resident,
Earlier this week, I joined my colleagues in the Legislative Majority and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder to announce a local law to provide another tool for the county in its fight against the theft and illegal resale of catalytic converters, which is on the rise nationwide.
The new law will require all businesses buying catalytic converters to obtain information from the seller, including identification, vin number, title and make and model of the vehicle. It will also allow the Nassau County Police Department and Department of Consumer Affairs to inspect those records to flag any illegal activity and go after the perpetrator.
The cost to replace a catalytic converter can be anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 and experienced thieves can crawl under your car, cut out the catalytic converter and be gone in under two minutes. Your car will still run without one but it will not be able to pass a yearly inspection.
Catalytic converters contain valuable metals including platinum, palladium, and rhodium, making them valuable to sell to scrap metal businesses.
To further help strengthen the effectiveness of this legislation, the Legislative Majority is also contacting Suffolk County and New York City governments to coordinate a region-wide approach to combat these thefts. Having unified support in the surrounding areas will further deter thieves since it will make it more difficult for them to profit from this
The bill will go through the required Legislative Committees and full Legislature in May where it is expected to pass and be signed into law by County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Click HERE for a story from WCBS-TV Ch.2 News concerning this topic.
I also wanted to extend my best wishes to everyone who will be celebrating Passover and Easter this weekend. Hopefully those doing so will be surrounded by friends and family in sharing the joy and blessings these holidays represent.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any thoughts and ideas you may have with respect to the County or on any particular issue that you think I may be able to assist you with. You may contact me at (516) 571-6214 or by email at LSchaefer@NassauCountyNY.gov.
Sincerely,
Laura M. Schaefer
Legislator, District 14