Rantz Exclusive: Dinsmore Auto robbed of 18 catalytic converters in one night

Businesses across the South Sound are still paying the price for Washington’s soft-on-crime policies.

The Dinsmore Auto Group, with locations from Federal Way to Olympia, is the latest victim. At its Jet Chevrolet location in Federal Way, thieves stole 18 catalytic converters off nine commercial vehicles in one night. The damage? More than $100,000.

“This has happened over and over,” owner Ken Dinsmore said on The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM. “We found nine vehicles had been hit this particular time, and boy, yeah, $100,000 in damage. It makes my stomach [queasy] just thinking about it, honestly.”

Insurance won’t cover the majority of the losses, either. “We’re on the hook for 75% of the loss here,” Dinsmore explained.

Drastic measures after robbery

The repeated hits have forced the company into drastic measures.

“We’re going to have to leave our vehicles without cat converters in them, and then when somebody purchases them, then go ahead and install them at that time. Which is very difficult to do,” he said.

The thefts have now happened nearly ten times, mostly at the Federal Way location. Dinsmore said he’s tried moving vehicles around the lot and even relocating some inventory to other cities.

“With all of our different locations, this Federal Way location certainly [has] been our worst,” he said.

Asked why, Dinsmore pointed to location and lack of deterrence.

“We’ve reached out to Federal Way police and the mayor’s office honestly, and they’ve stated that they’ll put some extra patrols in place. But for whatever reason, I think it’s close proximity to I-5, easy in, easy out,” he said.

Politics are to blame

To be clear, Dinsmore doesn’t blame local leadership.

“I agree with you that the mayor’s office has been terrific to work with. I feel like they are pro-business,” he noted.

But the bigger issue is repeat offenders taking advantage of a system that doesn’t punish crime.

“If they get caught, they’re just back out doing it again,” he said. “There seems to be very little penalty for these kinds of crimes.”

Seattle Red 770 AM has documented for years how Democrat policies in Olympia and King County courts have gutted proactive policing and turned property crime into a revolving door. Auto dealers, grocery chains, and small businesses alike are being forced to adapt—or shut down entirely. He’s thought about more security cameras, but there’s a problem.

“We’re committed to the community,” Dinsmore said. “But my experience with cameras is you really just get to see your stuff getting stolen. Police departments, including Federal Way, honestly don’t respond.”

As businesses like Dinsmore Auto weigh whether to stay or leave, the cost of soft-on-crime policies continues to mount—not just for business owners, but for every Washingtonian paying higher prices to cover the losses.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Seattle Red on 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

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