Man on 'crusade' to increase catalytic converter theft punishments in Riverside County

Raising punishments for catalytic converter theft

Daryl Terrell has been going around Riverside County for years, advocating for stricter punishments for catalytic converter theft.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - Catalytic converter theft in Riverside County has increased by 400% from 2019 to 2023, according to State Farm. The car part can be easy pickings for thieves wanting to cash in on the converters' precious metals.

Eight months ago, a new state law went into effect allowing law enforcement to charge thieves with illegal automobile dismantling if caught with at least nine stolen catalytic converters. Fines range between $250 and $1,000.

To Darly Terrelll, though, it wasn't enough. Terrell has been on a mission for years to make punishments for catalytic converters stricter.

On May 17, 2022, Terrell stood before the Riverside County Board of Supervisors and said, "My name is Daryl Terrell. I'm here to talk about catalytic converters."

Since then, he's gone from city to city, appealing to City Councils.

"What I'm trying to do is to have a law that's stronger and relevant," Terrell said.

Even though he's never had a converter stolen from his car, he's been convincing government leaders in Riverside County.

"Daryl was out basically on a crusade," Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries said, to get cities to make the misdemeanor tougher, dropping the requirement from nine converters to just one, and adding jail time.

Jeffries said Terrell convinced the Board that his "One and done" idea was a good one.

"The complaint level, even the social media contact level has significantly dropped across the county, on catalytic converters," Jeffries said. He said he thinks the punishment in the new law has helped.

A first offense with just one stolen catalytic converter nets a $1,000 fine and/or a year in jail. A second offense gets you a $1,000 fine for each converter and a year in jail, but the financial determination is up to the District Attorney.

So far, Terrell has convinced 19 cities in Riverside County to make punishments harsher, and says he feels "like I'm making a difference. That's the simple answer… It may not have happened to me, but somebody out there won't have to go through that."