They still can if they feel like it.
There was a rash of cars in my neighborhood having their catalytic converters stolen.
My mom got worried that they’d target my car, so she bought me a Club.
Which may seem ridiculous, but in fairness, I’ve had that thing sitting in my back seat in the original packaging for six months, now, and nobody’s touched my catalytic converter.
Cousin had her catalic converter stolen. But they took the entire car first. They also took two wheels and made a mess of the inside. This is a first gen Honda CRV. Happened a few months ago.
I was stunned. So was she. She bought a club steering wheal thing.
The police found it.