PORTLAND – A piece of metal lying under the bumper was the first clue that something might be amiss. The noise that accompanied the turn of the ignition made it clear something was very wrong.

Van No. 29 — a Go Maine vehicle used by commuters to drive between Portland and Augusta — had been the target of a catalytic converter theft. It was one of five converters stolen from vehicles in the Marginal Way Park & Ride lot in less than a week last month, and part of a sharp increase in converter thefts throughout the greater Portland area over the past few weeks.

Such thefts were infrequent in the city before March, according to Sgt. Dean Goodale, who leads the Portland Police Department’s property crimes detectives.

“Then, all of the sudden, we had a rash,” he said.

There were several thefts in the Riverside Street area in early March, followed by the five at the Marginal Way lot later in the month and two more at the same lot last weekend. City police are watching the lot, along with others that could attract thieves, Goodale said. He said police believe a group may be responsible for at least some of the thefts in that area and are putting together a case against one individual in the group.

Catalytic converters are legally required pollution-control devices connected to a vehicle’s exhaust system, containing small amounts valuable metals such as platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold. The spot price for platinum was $1,790 per ounce Wednesday afternoon.

Depending on the type, a catalytic converter can fetch anywhere from $5 to close to $150 at Clark’s Car Crushing in Hallowell, said Bob Clark, general manager.

Vehicles with chassis’ that are high off the ground, such as SUVs, trucks and vans, are often targets. Thefts have taken place both at night and during the day. Battery-powered saws have made it easier to remove the converters quickly.

“It takes only a few minutes to cut it and take it. It used to be you at least had to plug (a saw) in somewhere,” said Scarborough police Sgt. Rick Rouse. There have been about half a dozen converter thefts in Scarborough recently in retail and industrial areas, he said.

Catalytic converter thefts used to occur only occasionally at the University of Southern Maine’s Gorham campus, but in the past couple of months there have been about seven, said Lt. Ronald Saindon of the university police.

Police in Freeport, Saco and Westbrook also report thefts of converters.

Converter thefts have been increasing throughout the state in the past couple of years, driven by higher prices being paid for scrap metals, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety. The state does not keep statistics on catalytic converter thefts.

Clark of Clark’s Car Crushing said he photocopies the driver’s licenses of anyone selling a catalytic converter and records the information for authorities, but it’s difficult to tell whether it was obtained illegally.

“It’s not obvious. It’s wicked hard,” he said. “When it’s real obvious is when it’s catalytic converters that are off brand-new cars.”

The spree is spurring a market for theft deterrents, such as locks with names like CatClamp and Catlock. A few years ago, the Automobile Club of Southern California and Anaheim police offered to etch vehicle identification numbers onto catalytic converters free of charge.

The day the No. 29 converter theft was discovered, commuters who had been using the van arranged for a tow truck, got themselves to work and picked up the last spare van in Augusta for the return trip, said Peg Balono, a Falmouth resident who organizes the commuting group.

Muriel White, the vanpool coordinator, said Go Maine is working with the state Department of Transportation to make their vehicles safer at the Marginal Way lot. She said insurance paid to replace the converter.

“But there’s a deductible,” she said, “of course.” 

Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 791-6383 or at akim@pressherald.com