Proposed Albuquerque city ordinance aims to help police better prosecute metal thieves

KRQE, By Bela Olague, May 26, 2026

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – As metal theft continues to plague Albuquerque businesses and city property, a proposed city ordinance could help police prosecute the thieves.

It’s an all-too-common theft, forcing car owners to pay thousands of dollars in repairs. “Within two minutes, they will cut this right here, and then they’ll cut up here, and they’ll make off with this catalytic converter that quick,” said Renee Grout, Albuquerque City Councilor, District 9, as she pointed to the catalytic converter under a car in her auto shop.

But after passing a city ordinance in 2023, making it harder for criminals to sell stolen catalytic converters, Albuquerque Police say they’ve seen an overall decrease in these types of thefts.

They believe the law has been effective by requiring metal dealers to keep records of who is buying and selling the converters. Now, Councilor Grout is hoping to expand these rules to include copper and brass. “They are always, always repairing lighting around the city. And it’s because of theft, copper theft.”

Councilor Grout said that throughout the city, you can often see evidence of city lights being stripped of their copper wires. “It’s easily accessible in some aspects, but also it’s difficult to identify because once it’s stripped and pulled, it’s hard to know exactly where it came from,” said Lt. Conor Ollquist, Albuquerque Police Department.

And it’s a problem, Councilor Grout said that’s cutting into the city’s budget, “Over the last five years, when we’re doing the budget process, we see the Dalkia contract, and it’s always over what was budgeted.”

The damage is also taking a toll on businesses and city infrastructure. “We’ll see incidents where it’s up to $400,000 worth of damage in collecting copper that just is barely scratching the surface of that dollar amount,” said Lt. Ollquist.

If passed, APD said the proposed changes would help them better prosecute these cases by providing a paper trail. “The documentation will also include things such as, you know, photographs, identification, vehicles that are being driven to sell it,” said Lt. Ollquist.

The goal is to narrow down the suspects and curb these types of thefts. “We have seen a change. We don’t hear about catalytic converter theft like we used to. So, I know that the law is working. And so, I’m hopeful that by expanding it to include brass and copper, that we will see that change in those kind of thefts, too,” said Councilor Grout.

The proposed “Sale of Recycled Metals” ordinance is set to go to committee before heading to full council for a vote.

PNM said that so far in 2026, they’ve had six reported incidents of copper theft. In 2025, they had a total of 46 reported incidents of copper theft.

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