During the Spring 2021 semester, Drake Public Safety issued a safety alert for the theft of catalytic converters from cars in University parking lots. We have begun to receive additional reports of stolen catalytic converters from Toyota vehicles in campus parking lots, so once again, we are asking members of the campus community to “say something, if you see something.”

Throughout Des Moines and the rest of the country, catalytic converters are probably being stolen for scrap, or they could be reselling them to people installing them in cars. All cars have catalytic converters, so although the recent thefts have been aimed at Toyotas, any car could be the subject of a theft.

Because removing a catalytic converter typically requires getting underneath the vehicle with a metal saw or some other type of heavy-duty cutting tool, DPS is asking people to watch for suspicious activity in and around parking lots. 

During the summer months, we see less cars on campus and those cars may be unattended for longer periods of time.  At times during the summer, campus community members and guests may park unregistered vehicles in the lots and risk ticketing. Having only registered vehicles in our lots helps us to prevent criminal activity both in the lots as well as in and around buildings. DPS officers will continue to enforce the requirement that all cars parked in Drake parking lots have a Drake parking pass. Any car found in a Drake lot without a Drake parking permit may be subject to towing or being booted.

If your car has had its catalytic converter stolen or you have observed someone underneath vehicles or tampering with cars, we ask that you contact Drake Public Safety at 515–271–3860 or contact the Des Moines Police Department by calling 911.

— Scott Law, Director of Public Safety