June 18, 2021—The Rochester, Minn., police department partnered with three local oil change businesses June 16 to paint catalytic converters on cars for free.
According to KTTC 10, more than 160 drivers came to the event Wednesday. Three locations, Jiffy Lube on Commercial Drive, Valvoline Instant Oil Change on 55th Street and the Quick Lane on 2nd Street, offered painting services. Rochester police painted “RPD” on each converter and gathered basic license plate data from participants. The hope is that if a painted converter is stolen, it will be easier to find and recover the part.
The initiative was meant to help curb an increase in the theft of converters. Rochester police said it receives dozens of reports of stolen converters each month during the winter. Just last month, it received eight reports of stolen converters, compared to none at the same time last year.