(From the Sacramento Bee) All it takes is a saw, some muscle and a few minutes. Day or night, it doesn’t matter – maybe they strike while you’re in the mall. You don’t know anything’s wrong until your vehicle starts with a thunderous VAROOM!!!

And there you are, another hapless car owner ripped off by a catalytic converter thief.

The crime, uncommon until just a few years ago, is now so widespread that state lawmakers earlier this year unanimously – that’s right, unanimously – passed a bill aimed at deterring criminals who steal converters, which are prized for the tiny amounts of precious metals that they contain.

SB 627 takes effect Friday, Jan. 1. The law, written by Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, mandates that recyclers create a paper trail for all converter transactions to deter criminals from selling stolen units as scrap.

Read more here: Measure intends to put brakes on metal thievery