Police: Converters stolen from all 16 Trumbull in-district buses

TRUMBULL — Police are investigating the theft of catalytic converters from all 16 in-district special education buses at Durham School Services on Spring Hill Road. Trumbull police spokesman Lt. Brian Weir said the thefts were reported Monday morning, but the crime could have taken place any time between Friday through Monday. “As of this time, the Trumbull police is actively investigating these matters, but no further information has been developed,” Weir said. Police have valued the stolen equipment at a total of over $40,000. Trumbull Superintendent of Schools Martin Semmel sent a message to families Monday morning informing them of the incident. “This does not affect our out-of-district students,” he said. “I would ask that the families affected by this crime please make other arrangements to transport your child to and from school today. You will receive a follow-up message later today from our Director of Transportation providing additional information. The police have been notified and Durham will take steps to find replacement catalytic converters. I am sorry for this inconvenience.” In a statement, Durham confirmed that multiple routes were affected by the thefts and “unfortunately, a few also had to be be canceled. It is likely there will be service disruptions over the next few days as we try to source replacement parts as quickly as possible. We will try our best to minimize disruptions to service as best as we can. Lastly, we will be implementing additional security measures in hopes of preventing incidents like this from happening again in the future.” This is not the first time that catalytic converters have been taken from buses servicing Trumbull schools. In November, catalytic converters from an entire fleet of school buses used by Cooperative Educational Services, 40 Lindeman Drive were stolen. CES provides educational supports and services to school districts and communities in Fairfield County. CES executive director Charles Dumais said his school was not affected by this latest theft but “we have reached out to Trumbull Public Schools to see if we can offer any assistance from our student transportation division.” Those with information regarding the catalytic converter thefts are asked to contact the Trumbull Police Department at 203-261-3665, or dial 911 for any crimes in progress. Editor’s note — This story has been updated with the correct number of buses missing catalytic converters.

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