Catalytic converter theft spreads to local orchards

Apr. 11—If work crews weren't out in September checking the wind machines in his orchards, local citrus grower Matt Fisher might not have spotted the problem until it was too late.

Thieves had ripped open six of the 20-foot-tall blowers — put there to bring down warmer air when freezing temperatures threaten to ruin the crop — and cut out the catalytic converter inside each one.

He figures the thieves got a hundred dollars or more per component. But the damage they left in his orchards near Visalia cost him about $10,000 to repair.

"We haven't had the issue in Kern County yet," he said, "but I'm sure we will."

Others already have. A crime once limited to vehicles increasingly poses an expensive and potentially dangerous problem for Kern's citrus farmers.

Growers who by necessity place equipment in sprawling, remote properties are having to do more and more to protect it. Some are hardening their installations with heavy-duty locks and custom cages that cost thousands of dollars to build.

There's wide suspicion some farmers may have been hit but they don't yet know it, considering months have passed since temperatures dropped low enough to warrant firing up a wind machine.

"It's never been as bad as it is," said Kern and Riverside county citrus farmer John S. Gless.

RUDE AWAKENING

His wind machines don't use catalytic converters, without which other engines belch pollution and roar. But Gless has his own trouble.

"We come out in the middle of the night to fire things up and the radiator's gone. Or the alternator's gone," he said. "We've got a horrible problem."

The Kern County Sheriff's Office Rural Crime Investigation Unit said it is unable to count how many catalytic converters have been stolen from local machines over a given period. But it confirmed the thefts do happen and property owners can and should take precautions.

The unit said fencing helps but so does removing engines altogether when there's not much chance of a freeze.

"Our recommendation for prevention is to fortify the location of these units, or removal of the high value components for the off-season," a representative of the rural crime unit said by email.

DELAYED INVESTIGATION

Investigating such theft can be especially hard, the email said, because victims typically don't know a crime has been committed for weeks or even months.

"The delay in recognition of the theft can also result in a delayed reporting, which results in almost zero physical evidence or investigative leads," it said.

That's a concern as well in Tulare County, where Sheriff Mike Boudreaux recently wrote about how his department's ag-unit detectives noticed a trend in catalytic converter thefts from wind machines.

By the time some victims realize what's happened, it's often too late to collect clues, Boudreaux wrote in the April issue of Tulare County Farm Bureau News.

"I know there is a lot going on around your ranch or farm," he wrote. "However, taking a few minutes to check in on your equipment regularly, even if you aren't using it, can be incredibly useful if you become the victim of a crime." He further recommended staying vigilant, knowing who is or is not supposed to be on a property, and using video cameras and the liquid anti-theft tool known as SmartWater.

"It might feel like you're simply a sitting duck when it comes to catalytic converter thefts," he wrote. "But there ARE a few things you can do."

DETERRING THEFT

Both Fisher and Gless said they have taken extensive measures to make their orchard facilities a harder target for thieves. They reported spending thousands of dollars on steel cages to protect their wind machines and well pumping equipment from thieves.

How much peace of mind those investments bring is debatable.

"All that is is a deterrent," said Fisher, who has orchards in Kern, Tulare and Fresno counties.

"If they really want to get in, they'll find a way," he said. "But you're trying to make it where they hit the guy who ... doesn't fortify the machine."

One thing that frustrates Gless is the damage thieves cause unnecessarily. Ripping out copper they'll cause $5,000 worth of damage, he said, or they'll break into panels.

"They don't do it nicely, neatly," he said. "They just tear into it."

ARMED GUARD

As part of his own vigilance Gless has reviewed videotape of organized thieves hitting one of his orchards. Standing guard was a man with what appeared to be an assault rifle. A separate image showed a guy with a pump in one hand and a 9-millimeter firearm in the other.

"They're not playing around," he said.