This award is presented to a new program or initiative to enhance/ensure integrity of products/services in a jurisdiction, such as facial recognition systems, security features to a vehicle title, implementation of ALPR, address verification software, etc.
This is a motor vehicle agency OR law enforcement agency award and is awarded at the international level.
Each agency may submit only ONE entry.
Criteria for selection:
- Project/program/initiative decreases fraud or fraud risks
- Definitive/measurable outcomes
2024 Winner
Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Catalytic Converter Theft Identification and Prevention Program
The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles began working on a special project to restrict the sales of catalytic converters removed from motor vehicles as a direct result of the significant increase in catalytic converter thefts and the strain that was placed upon the citizens of Maine. This criminal trend was experienced across the nation when the prices of the valuable catalyst material contained within the vehicle parts increased significantly. The Bureau formed a working group which included several key stakeholders from the vehicle recycling industry, prosecutors’ offices, and the Maine Auto Dealers Association, which developed a comprehensive legislative package that passed unanimously and with significant support and buy-in from the recycling industry and citizens. As a result of this law, all Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) of new and used vehicles sold in Maine must be engraved on catalytic converters at the time of sale. It requires that any catalytic converter be permanently marked with the full VIN of the vehicle it is removed from and it is illegal to possess unmarked and dismantled catalytic converters and to be engaged in the business of buying or selling dismantled catalytic converters unless properly licensed as a recycler in the state. This specific law also forged a greater working relationship between the BMV and the New England State Police Information Network (NESPIN) which is part of the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS). The agencies worked together to transform an existing investigative database (RISSprop) into a collective site to store each dismantled catalytic converter transaction conducted in the State of Maine. This tool allows other law enforcement agencies to enter the Vehicle Identification Number of their victim’s vehicle into a database and provides the names of people illegally engaged in the sale of catalytic converters or falsely attached VINs. Since the inception of this law, 692 criminal charges and 173 written warnings have been issued related to catalytic converter crimes. They have charged twenty individuals with being unlicensed recyclers and seized more than 500 unmarked catalytic converters which are forfeited to the state.