Crime & Safety

String of Car Part Thefts Hit Dedham MBTA Station

Dedham Police are investigating a recent uptick in the stolen car part.

Well-equipped and knowledgeable thieves have stolen catalytic converters from five cars parked at the Dedham Corp. Center MBTA parking lot since early November - including two on Thursday, according to police reports.

The car part, which can cost more than $1,000 to replace, is a hot product among thieves because of the high price of metals, Dedham Police Chief Michael d'Entremont said.

"All comes down to the value of the metal that can be sold as scrap," he said.

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The thefts occured during regular work hours when commuters leave their cars in the parking lot for hours. The Dedham Corp. Center lot has little pedestrian and vehicular traffic during work hours, and is only busy during rush hour times, d'Entremont said.

That gives thieves time and privacy to remove a catalytic converter.

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Unfortunately, the chief said, drivers can't do a whole lot to prevent this from happening to them.

In a phone interview Monday, d'Entremont said the department continues to investigate and has increased checks of the lot during the day. He recommended parking near areas that might get car and foot traffic.

"We are just trying to make extra patrols of the area and see if we can come up with any high-risk vehicles," he said.

No thefts have been reported recently at the Endicott MBTA station because of the parking lot's high visibility, d'Entremont said. 

The layout and traffic pattern opens a treasure chest for catalytic converter thieves.

"Do the best you can to find a spot that has activity with people coming and going," d'Entremont said.


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