Thieves are after a very particular car part.

Following a trend seen across the nation, the Goldsboro Police Department is seeing a spike in thefts of catalytic converters from parked vehicles.

At last week’s Operation Unite Goldsboro Community Roundtable, GPD Maj. Anthony Carmon spoke about the problem.

He says the Goldsboro P.D. has formed a special mini task force, and they’re hopeful they will be able to announce arrests in the next few weeks.

Maj. Carmon says it only takes a couple of minutes for thieves to steal a catalytic converter.

The catalytic converters contain precious metals which make them valuable in the scrap metal market.

To help prevent the theft of the catalytic converter from your vehicle:

• Park your vehicle in a garage, if possible
• If a garage is not available, park in a well-lit area
• Park near a wall, fence or curb to make it more difficult for thieves to slide under your vehicle
• Monitor your neighborhood for unknown persons during overnight hours