A catalytic converter(follettmotors_com / Flickr)

In the middle of the night a row of cars, including yours, sits parked along the street in a quiet residential neighborhood.

A criminal disappears underneath the first car and 30 seconds later crawls back out with a large chunk of metal. He’s just stolen your car’s catalytic converter and he moves quickly down the street sliding under cars stealing more converters, which can bring him hundreds or thousands of dollars when he resells them.

This crime is on the rise around the country and in the Treasure Valley and local law enforcement agencies are working to stop it.

Detective Dennis Peppley and Sargent Phillips with the Nampa Police Department joined Idaho Matters to tell us how we can help keep our cars safe from thefts.