Car thefts in the region have been moribund so much that the metro area is no longer on the top-ten list countrywide for uppermost number of car thefts. The Seattle metro region was grade sixth in the nation per capita for car thefts, but a 2007 study shows that the region has dropped to 16th. Prosecutors credit the turn down to the work of local law enforcement and the King County Prosecutor’s Car Theft part, which was bent in 2005 in an endeavor to break down on the skyrocketing number of car thefts in King County

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said the county has knowledgeable a 55 percent reduce in car thefts as 2005. The office files cases on a hurry foundation and prosecutors are seeking longer sentences. “It is our goal to see the Seattlearea drop out of the top 25. We are no longer a welcoming place to car thieves. Satterberg said that local police bureau have done an outstanding job of reducing car thefts. Novel investigative tools are being made use of, such as lure cars with cartridge cameras. Some local police agencies have also urbanized particular enforcement teams that are locate and arresting replicate car thieves. Special enforcement teams have been ascertained at the police unit for Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Kent, and Renton.

The predictable yearly savings for insurance costs as a result of the drop in car thefts is over $50 million in King County alone.

Near San Diego’s border-area lot of car theft complaints was being received by the police department. But in past six months there have been a reduction in car thefts, because strict action has been taken by the concerned police officials. The policy which came into force in April is aimed at reducing the high number of fraudulent stolen-vehicle reports in the area, and investigators say it is working.

According to a report, the number of auto thefts have fallen from 624 to 558 in the months after the policy went into effect. Patrol officers say that in areas like otay mesa and san ysidro the auto thefts have reduced from eight to five in a day. According to a source, most cars that were stolen every year were- Honda accord in 1991, Honda civic in 1995, Toyota Camry in 1989, Acura Integra in 1994. Most stolen cars used to go straight over the border. So police officials had to take a strict action.

In Brownsville area there have been reports of auto theft. In order to prevent auto theft both Brownsville Police and Texas Insurance Council have set up a campaign to reduce auto thief in Brownsville area. This program is read like “LOCK, TAKE AND HIDE”. It means that locks your car, take the keys with you and hide your personal belongings.

According to a police chief, during holiday season there is increase in car thefts. So only they have set up this program. If they follow this rule their car will be safe. This program is spread in various cities like Austin, Houston, Laredo, Del Rio, and Brownsville. In a month, nearly 300 burglaries and 25-30 auto thefts used to take place each month in Brownsville area, but those statistics have been reduced from previous years. Due to this campaign there can be a reduction of 15 to 25 percent in the next few months.

Lock all the doors of the car when you are buying even a small thing from the store, because thief can steal the car in a second. If a thief sees the keys dangling in the car he may steal your new car. Nowadays thieves have become so clever that they do not want to steal the car but items that are in car like the cell phones, credit cards, checkbooks etc. Avoid fancy accessories in your car. Car thieves generally steal expensive rims, spoilers etc from the car.

Nowadays auto thieves have become expert in stealing a car; they can break the lock of even a security device. But there are some new security devices in the market which may scare the auto thief. A new type of alarm is introduced in the market; if anyone touches the vehicle it will create a loud sound. Plenty of auto security devices are available in the market; you can choose anyone from the market.

Auto thefts in Oahu have fallen to 41 percent since 2002. In 2002, nearly 8,488 cars were stolen in Oahu. The number of vehicles stolen in the first half of Honolulu was 2,893 which have reduced to 1,701 in the first half of 2008. On the whole if you see the crime rate in the city has declined to 22 percent, but maximum drop was in auto thefts. Due to slow down in the economy, 2008 was a bad year for the car dealers as well as car stealers. Auto theft in 2008 was 1,701 which was less when compared to 2,893 cars stolen in 2007. Motor vehicle thefts dropped 12.6 per cent in the city. Violent crime like murder, rape, robbery was down 7 percent. Property crime rate was down 23 percent. Property crime includes burglary, larceny theft and auto theft. The city has a population of 905,000, in which there were 8 murders in the first half of 2008 compared to 12 murders in the first half of 2007. The number of rapes has also reduced in the city with 96 in the first half of 2008 when compared to 127 in the first half of 2007. According to Bureau’s preliminary figures, violent crime fell 3.5 percent and property crime has fallen to 2.5 percent.

According to a survey, crime rate has been decreasing in Nashville city from last five years. On the whole, crime has reduced by 2.3 percent and violent crimes by 5.2 percent when compared to 2007. But in homicides the crime was on rise, with one case in 2008. Chief of Metro police, Ronal Serpas will hand over his report to Mayor Dean at the end of the meeting today. Nashville people could not expect that crime rate has fallen down in five straight years in a row. The city has its lowest crime levels in 18 years. Auto theft crime rate has fallen down to 17.5 percent, and robbery down to 8.6 percent and rapes have also seen a decrease of 6.5 percent. The auto theft rate is at its lowest level in Nashville.

The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the availability of an online computer system to help protect states and consumers from automobile fraud and to provide law enforcement with new tools to investigate fraud, theft, and other crimes involving vehicles. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, or NMVTIS, will be available for consumers on January 30, 2009 and will be accessible through third party, fee-for-service websites. The Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers NMVTIS in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The system allows state motor vehicle administrators to verify and exchange titling and brand data and provides law enforcement officials, consumers, and others with critical information regarding vehicle histories. Consumers now have access to the vehicle’s brand history, odometer data, and basic vehicle information and can be redirected to the current state of record to access the full title record if available. Law enforcement can track the vehicle’s status from state to state by accessing the system directly.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, car theft is a profitable business generating nearly $8 billion a year. Along with implementing this system, the Department has outlined the various responsibilities and reporting requirements for states, auto recyclers, junk yards and salvage yards, and insurance carriers. The Department has designed the system consistent with federal law that requires that the system be paid for through user fees and not dependent on federal funding.

Since 1997, the Department of Justice has committed over $15 million to assist states and other stakeholders in the implementation of NMVTIS. Currently, NMVTIS has the participation, or partial participation, of 36 states. Ultimately, with full participation from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, NMVTIS will prevent stolen motor vehicles, including clones, from entering into interstate commerce; protect states and consumers from fraud; reduce the use of stolen vehicles for illicit purposes including fundraising for criminal enterprises; and provide consumer protection from unsafe vehicles. In research conducted by the Logistics Management Institute, the system is estimated to save taxpayers between $4 and $11 billion each year. For further information on NMVTIS.

The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation’s capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).

VANCOUVER – Police will now be able to watch and listen to auto thieves in real time with the introduction of the Bait Car Live program, Solicitor General John van Dongen announced today as a part of the kick-off to April as Auto Crime Enforcement Month.

“A stolen vehicle in the hands of a car thief is like a 3,000-pound bullet driving down the road,”said van Dongen. “On top of that, police officers often face drug-fuelled car thieves armed with weapons such as knives and guns. This new Bait Car Live technology will greatly enhance officer safety and make our streets safer.”

Previous bait car technology did not allow for live monitoring; police could only view the tape after the vehicle was stopped. Officers were not able to determine how many suspects were in the vehicle, what they were planning, or if they were armed.

“Stopping a stolen vehicle can pose great danger to police because a suspect could have a gun,or there may be more than one person involved,” said Sgt. Gord Elias of the Integrated Municipal Auto Crime Team (IMPACT). “Bait Car Live allows a dispatcher to watch and listen to everything going on inside a bait car as it happens and relay that information instantly to the responding police unit.”

Auto Crime Enforcement month will also see police forces across B.C. ramping up efforts to arrest car thieves and drive down auto theft statistics. Auto theft dropped 16 per cent in British Columbia between 2007 and 2008, from 15,900 to 13,400 vehicles stolen. Since 2003, the launch year of the Bait Car program, there has been a 47 per cent decline in auto theft from 25,500 to 13,400.

“Since launching the bait car program in 2003, we’ve seen auto theft claims fall by about $40 million,” said Donnie Wing, ICBC’s senior vice-president of insurance, marketing and underwriting.“It’s one of the reasons why ICBC has been able to lower optional insurance rates 17 per cent over the past five years. Our three per cent reduction in 2009 alone totals a $50 million savings to our 3.1million customers.”

The Province has a number of strategies in the battle against vehicle theft. The IMPACT program uses Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology, which involves the deployment across the Lower Mainland of covert police cars equipped with on-board cameras and computers. ALPR can run up to 600 plates per hour looking for stolen vehicles. The Air One helicopter has also had success apprehending car thieves. Since it went fully operational in 2006, Air One has assisted or been directly involved in 146 stolen vehicle incidents resulting in the arrest of 218 people.As well, Air Two, the second police helicopter to take to the skies, was introduced recently and doubles the ability of police to apprehend criminals.

NEW WESTMINSTER – The Province will spend $1.8 million to more than triple the number of in car police cameras across B.C. to back more impaired and dangerous driving charges with indisputable evidence, Solicitor General John van Dongen announced today.

“We’ve all seen on TV the kind of footage these cameras gather: impaired drivers falling out of their vehicles, trying to flee on foot or even assaulting police officers who’ve just pulled them over,”said van Dongen. “This footage is irrefutable, puts judges at the scene of a crime, saves police paperwork and court time, and leads to more guilty pleas and convictions.”

The new cameras will bring to approximately 450 the number of patrol-car cameras across B.C., with 260 new units to be installed in RCMP traffic-duty vehicles and 60 in vehicles used by the Province’s 11 independent municipal police departments to promote road safety. Last April, the ministry funded the purchase and installation of 33 in-car cameras for use by independent departments,complementing the approximately 100 then in use by RCMP Traffic Services and Integrated Road Safety Units.

“Impaired driving alone continues to kill or injure about 3,300 people in B.C. every year,” said Supt. Norm Gaumont of RCMP B.C. Traffic Services. “Solid evidence like car-cam footage leads to convictions and, in turn, more consequences than ever for impaired and dangerous drivers – including mandatory use of an ignition interlock device after a single alcohol-related driving conviction.”

The Governor’s Auto Theft Strike Force operates a confidential toll free auto theft tip line that gives you the opportunity to help stop auto thieves. If you give information that leads to the arrest of a car thief, or the location of a chop shop, you could receive a confidential cash reward of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00). All you need to do is call 1-800-HOT-AUTO. Auto theft is a serious and far-reaching crime that affects us all. Last year alone over thirty thousand cars were stolen in Massachusetts. At a minimum, auto theft costs us all extra money in higher insurance premiums. Insurance companies recognize this problem and that is why this tip line has been established.

The 1-800-HOT-AUTO tip-line is operated by state troopers at the Governor’s Auto Theft Strike Force. Your call and identity will be kept confidential. All rewards are paid out in cash with no strings attached. Again, the telephone number to call is 1-800-HOT-AUTO (1-800-468-2886).

The Governor’s Auto Theft Strike Force also runs a VIN Etching program. VIN etching is the process of permanently etching your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) into the windows of your automobile. The moment your vehicle is reported stolen, its federally registered VIN becomes the mark of a stolen vehicle. Thieves are less likely to risk the theft of an easily identified vehicle nor are they willing to spend the time and effort trying to replace VIN marked windows. The fee for this service is $10.00, however, you can save up to 15% off on your comprehensive insurance when you have VIN etching done on your car. More information is available for this program by calling the VIN etching coordinator at the Governor’s Auto Theft Strike Force at 781-393-1201.