El Paso Police offers free catalytic converter etching

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Police Department is working to help keep your car, and all of its parts, safe from potential thieves.

Today from 9 a.m. to noon, you can head to Take 5 Oil Change in West El Paso (915 Sunland Park Dr.) to get your car's Vehicle Identification Number etched into the catalytic converter for free.

Officials say Texas ranks second in the nation for catalytic converter thefts.

In El Paso, there have been more than 735 thefts over the past three years.

"It's just another piece of security that an owner can have on, in this case, a very expensive part on the car, because to replace them can cost into the thousands of dollars," said Stephen Plummer with the EPPD Auto Theft Task Force.he ground or low on the ground.