Can't speak to how widespread catalytic converter theft is, but commodity metal theft is a quickly increasing category of crime and if catalytic converters are easy to take and get the metal out of, I'm sure it's being done.
Locally we had someone steal the copper wiring out of all the street lamps along a couple miles length of road. Monuments and graveyards are having quite a bit of trouble with copper plaques and insets being stolen. I have a coworker who recently told that his condo building has replaced all the brass door knockers with something else because someone kept stealing them right off the doors (probably an idiot since I don't think there is much market for brass).
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