Commander says catalytic-converter thefts in Houston have fallen after new law, grants and targeted enforcement

Commander Dana Hitzman, commander of the Houston Police Department’s auto theft division, told the City Council Public Safety Committee that catalytic-converter thefts and related auto-theft trends have declined after a mix of local rule changes, state legislation, grant funding and focused enforcement.

Hitzman said combined in 2021–2023 the City of Houston recorded more than 19,000 catalytic-converter incidents and noted that reporting conventions can undercount the number of actual converters stolen in large incidents. "Combined '21, '22, and '23, the City Of Houston had over 19,000 catalytic catalytic converter thefts," she said, using the committee slide deck to illustrate the citywide impact.

The commander traced the recent decline to several developments: an April 2021 city administrative change that limited certain sales, a September 2021 state measure described in the presentation as "house bill 41 10," a high-profile March 31, 2022 killing of Harris County deputy Darren Almendarez during a theft intervention, multiagency arrests in July 2022, and the May 2023 enactment of Senate Bill 224 (cited in the presentation as the Deputy Darren Almendarez Act). She described SB 224 as both strengthening criminal penalties related to catalytic-converter theft and creating a funding mechanism routed through the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA) to support law-enforcement grants.

The committee heard specific operational impacts. Hitzman said HPD’s auto-theft task force used crime analysis and undercover operations to identify repeat-targeted locations—examples cited include parking areas near 999 North Loop West and 5445 West Loop South—captured suspects on camera and obtained felony charges; after those arrests, Penske-truck incidents at the identified sites dropped to zero. "After the 2nd arrest, the incidents with Penske trucks dropped to 0," she said.

Hitzman also summarized grant awards and department outcomes tied to MVCPA funding under SB 224: for fiscal year 2024 HPD received just over $1,500,000 for the auto-theft grant and just over $1,200,000 for the catalytic-converter grant; for fiscal year 2025 she said the auto-theft grant increased to just over $1,900,000 while the catalytic-converter grant was $994,000. She attributed improved investigative capacity to those funds and to technology such as license-plate readers, which she described as "a game changer" that provides investigative leads.

The commander reviewed changing theft methods—citing earlier spikes tied to Hyundai and Kia security vulnerabilities (roughly 2011–2021 models), the later availability of inexpensive key programmers used to reprogram certain vehicle keys, and thefts of Freightliner common powertrain controllers that she said produced about 140 incidents and roughly $1.7 million in damage to the trucking industry before arrests substantially reduced those incidents.

Hitzman described internal HPD adjustments—shift reassignments to expand day-shift investigations, additional training for detectives and patrol officers, undercover and regulatory operations, and coordination with a dedicated assistant district attorney for auto-theft prosecutions—and linked those changes to measurable outcomes: she reported charges filed rose 22% in 2023 compared with 2022, operations increased by about 40%, and year-to-date 2024 charges were up about 19% compared with the same period in 2023.

Committee members and staff asked whether the decline was driven by enforcement, falling metal prices or publicity; Hitzman said it was likely a combination of all factors. On district-level data she said auto thefts were down in every council district except one (Councilmember Pollard’s district), which she said had seen a roughly 5% increase.

The committee did not vote on policy during the meeting. Materials and Hitzman’s slides are available at the committee website; Hitzman said the SB 224 advisory committee will continue discussing potential legislative refinements at its next meeting.