The City of Kaufman Police Department announced that gas thefts are on the rise in the city as their offices have had calls of fuel being siphoned and gas tanks being ruined by thieves.
“Some thieves are drilling holes into the actual gas tanks to steal all of your gas,” the Kaufman Police Department said via Facebook. “A gas tank can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 in addition to the cost of the stolen fuel. We recommend that people park in their garages if you have one and, if possible, in well-lit areas.”
In Kaufman — thirty-five miles southeast of downtown Dallas — police advise citizens to use locking fuel caps for vehicles.
With gas prices still at record highs, some lawmakers want state and federal governments to think about giving people rebates and stimulus payments to help them pay for their cars.
The Dallas Express reported on March 26 the proposed Gas Rebate Act of 2022, if passed, will send qualifying Americans $100 each month, and $100 for each dependent, through the end of 2022, while the national gas price average exceeds $4 a gallon.
According to AAA, the national gasoline average stood at $4.244 per gallon as of March 27 and $3.875 per gallon in Texas.
Fuel-runoffs are also becoming a more significant problem in Texas. Earlier this month near Houston, gas station security footage showed two men stealing 360 gallons of diesel fuel, worth about $1,250. According to EIA.gov, diesel fuel has risen from $4.10 per gallon on February 25 to $5.13 as of March 21.
Aside from gasoline, reports of cars and car parts being stolen in the DFW Metroplex continue to plague the area.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, data from the Dallas Police Department released in February showed that the rate of catalytic converter thefts in 2021 was up more than 300% from 2020. The number of stolen converters rose from 655 in 2020 to 2,187.
Earlier this week, The Dallas Express reported police were searching for a man in the DFW area in connection to a string of converter thefts. Thieves engaged in catalytic converter thefts are usually after the palladium, platinum, or rhodium used to make them.
According to The National Insurance Crime Bureau, rhodium was valued at $14,500 per ounce as of December 2020. An ounce of platinum or palladium was valued at $1,061 and $2,336, respectively, according to The National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The Dallas Police Department asks anyone with information that might help identify and arrest the suspect to contact Detective J. Hellenguard with the Southeast Investigative Unit at 214-671-0132.