Lincolnwood holds event to tattoo catalytic converters to discourage theft

Motorists lined up at Cassidy Tire in Lincolnwood Oct. 23 in an attempt to prevent their vehicles’ catalytic converters from being stolen — a crime running rampant in both the city and suburbs.

Around 20 cars waited at the entry when the event began at 9:00 a.m. Two Lincolnwood police cars marked the spot.

When a driver’s turn arrived, Cassidy mechanics hoisted it up on a hydraulic lift while another employee prepared stencils that would give each vehicle’s catalytic converter a unique identification number, including the last four digits of its VIN number. Next, mechanics applied bright-orange spray paint to the numbers.

Near the exit Sarah Yun of the Lincolnwood Police Department handed each owner a window decal saying “This vehicle has a catalytic converter theft deterrent” on it, along with the logo of the Lincolnwood Police Department.

Tat-A-Cat event at Cassidy Tire&Service in Lincolnwood to receive identifying markings on catalytic converters of people’s cars at 7220 N Cicero, Lincolnwood, Sunday October 23, 2022. (Victor Hilitski/for Chicago Tribune (Victor Hilitski/Chicago Tribune)

Cassidy Tire in Lincolnwood painted an orange catalytic convertor with orange paint on Sunday Oct. 23, 2022. In an effort to prevent thefts, the Tat-a-Cat event identified numbers for ion-catalytic converters. Victor Hilitski/for the Chicago Tribune User Upload Caption: (Victor Hilitski, Chicago Tribune).