Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station have continued to report numerous catalytic converter thefts in the valley, with over a dozen reportedly taking place in the past weekend alone.

On Wednesday, officials reported that 14 catalytic converter thefts took place within the Santa Clarita Valley over the past weekend, with Toyota’s Prius model appearing to be the primary target.

Catalytic converters are a part of a car’s exhaust system, and looks like a round canister that connects two pieces of exhaust piping from the engine to the tailpipe.

“Catalytic converters can easily be ‘scrapped’ for quick profit,” wrote Deputy Natalie Arriaga, spokesperson for the station, in an official post Wednesday.

This is due to the valuable metals used in the part’s manufacturing, including platinum, rhodium and palladium, which officials say have increased in value in recent years due to black market resales.

These thefts have been on the rise in the Santa Clarita Valley for at least the past several months. In July, three individuals were arrested on catalytic converter theft charges in Newhall. A month later, three different people were arrested on similar charges, this time in Castaic. 

Then in November, deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station’s Crime Impact Team conducted a crime suppression operation in an effort to combat the rise in catalytic converter thefts. 

“One traffic stop resulted in the arrest of three males who possessed numerous tools used for stealing catalytic converters, and eight freshly cut, stolen catalytic converters,” Arriaga wrote at the time.

See Related: Three Men Arrested After Being Found With Eight Catalytic Converters

In many local cases, deputies have found that suspects have traveled from outside the Santa Clarita Valley and into the city specifically to steal catalytic converters.

Officials say that it may be difficult to tell if a catalytic converter is missing from a car, as it is not easily visible from underneath the car. Most people only notice once their car is running poorly and begins making a loud, rumbling exhaust noise. 

When one is stolen, officials say that there will be a gap or open space in the middle of the exhaust with evidence of the catalytic converter being cut away. Victims can then expect to pay an average of $2,000 to replace the part and repair the damage to their vehicle.

However, there are some steps residents can take to prevent catalytic converter theft, which include parking their vehicles in well-lit areas with surveillance cameras, and having bolts on the converter welded shut.

Officials also recommend that residents engrave their license plate number onto the converter itself to assist law enforcement in the event that it is stolen.

“One way to protect your vehicle is by engraving your license plate onto the converter,” Arriaga wrote on Wednesday. “Our deputies are continuously working hard to conduct crime suppressions and recover stolen catalytic converters. Engraving/etching your license plate onto the converter will assist deputies in locating its’ original owner.”

Deputies ask residents to be aware and report any “suspicious activity,” such as individuals loitering around or looking under parked cars, to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station at (661) 255-1121.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.