Thursday, June 12, 2008
Where have all the stolen cars gone? Everywhere.
In some countries the import laws are very restrictive and they don't have the dealers and the network to distribute the cars like the Mercedes and Lexus SUVs, Rolls Royces, Porches, and Bentleys.
"We know of a guy over in
Because countries don't share motor vehicle information, it is easy to have a vehicle re-titled in another country. A car can come across the border from
Meanwhile, Special Agent Horsley continues with his investigations. You know where to find him: looking for stolen cars, on the border.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Car Safe Tips
2. Don't leave car keys lying around on tables, desks or key hooks.
3. Never hide a second set of keys anywhere on your car; thieves know where to look.
4. If you have off-street parking, use it. Even better, park behind lockable gates or in a locked garage.
5. At night, park in a well lit area.
6. Use secure parking facilities where they are available.
7. In car parks where you must leave the keys, ask the operator how the keys will be secured.
8. When leaving your vehicle unattended, fully close the windows, lock all the doors and take the keys with you.
9. Never leave valuable items such as mobile phones, bags, CDs in sight in your unattended vehicle.
10. If you have a steering lock, use it. Better still, for maximum protection install an engine immobiliser that meets Australian Standards.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Stolen Vehicles
It's Saturday night and it's been one longer week of gathering deadlines and dealing with the staff. You saunter into the parking garage and look for your - it is not there. While having your car stolen is not the end of the world (although it may feel like it at the time), it is upsetting, time-consuming, expensive, and a complete harass.
Make an informed choice on your next vehicle buy by knowing which vehicles are most frequently stolen in your state. Some vehicles are just simple targets for criminals because they are admired and easy to sell off in the stolen car market.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Innovative Police Efforts to Stop Car Thieves
Recently, law enforcement in King County has been increasing its efforts to disrupt, interdict, and arrest car thieves - with an emphasis on high-impact, repeat offenders. Patrol officers are out on the streets each day recovering more stolen cars and responding to an increasing number of citizen calls reporting missing cars. In response to the rising number of car thefts, our law enforcement agencies have become creative.
Two law enforcement groups that have persistently drawn attention to the car theft problem are the Western States Auto Theft Investigators and the King County Police Chiefs Association. Both groups have been involved in tracking and sharing information on auto theft with all police agencies in King County for a number of years. For 2005, the King County Police Chiefs Association auto theft committee is being chaired by Kirkland Police Captain Greg Edwards together with King County Sheriff's Office Chief Scott Somers and Federal Way Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick. This year's focus for the committee is on working with police agencies to better process stolen vehicle recoveries and to improve crime intelligence sharing on car theft trends and the identification of high-impact car thieves. Renton Police Detective Robert Onishi, a long-time leader in combating auto theft, will head an effort to develop "best practices" for the recovery and processing of stolen vehicles.
In addition, police agencies across the County, such as the Seattle Police Department, the Bellevue Police Department and the Kirkland Police Department have acquired new technology and are adopting new strategies to curb the car thieves. These efforts include:
- "Bait cars" that are outfitted with satellite tracking equipment as well as hidden cameras that film and record car thieves at the wheel of the car. Once a bait car is stolen, police can shut down the engine of the car and lock the thief inside until law enforcement arrives.
- Targeting a "top 10 list" of high-impact, serial offenders for arrest and prosecution. Police intelligence confirms that many of the car thefts are caused by a few high-impact, serial offenders who steal cars at each opportunity. Working with the prosecutor to aggressively investigate and prosecute these offenders takes them out of circulation.
- Using new scanning technology that allows police to immediately scan license plates of cars on the street against a database of stolen vehicle reports. With this technology police can instantly identify stolen cars and speed up their recovery.
- Using crime scene investigation technology to assist in the identification of car thieves. With forensic science technology police can process a recovered vehicle to obtain fingerprints, or, in some cases, DNA, to identify the car thief.
It is now time to join with these law enforcement efforts and to undertake more aggressive prosecution of these cases.
An Auto Theft Epidemic: Who Suffers?
But beyond this issue of value, the effects of every car theft are profound. With each theft, car owners, their families, and all those who depend on those cars, are left in the lurch. Lives are disrupted, appointments are missed, kids aren't picked up, and a community's sense of safety is pierced. In addition to this very real human loss, are the fiscal costs - much of which we are all left to bear. Consider:
- Auto theft is a $8 billion dollar industry nationwide. The Insurance Information Institute estimates that approximately one-third of a typical comprehensive auto insurance premium goes to pay for auto theft claims.
- In Washington State, auto theft cost taxpayers over $273 million in 2003 in police costs alone.
- Even if you are an insured car driver, the FBI estimates that each car theft costs citizens $6,701 in insurance deductibles, replacement costs, alternative transportation costs, and increased insurance rates.
- In Washington State, $300 million was lost to car theft in 2004 alone!
These staggering numbers make a strong case for getting tougher on car theft and those criminals who are causing such harm.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Profile of a Car Thief and Current Sanctions
The increase in car theft also can be attributed to the fairly low risk of being caught. Nationally, only about 13.1% of all car thefts are cleared by arrest, according to FBI statistics. In 2003, 461 juveniles and 2,027 adults were arrested for motor vehicle theft in Washington, amounting to a total of only 2,488 arrests. Given the number of cars reported stolen in 2003, a suspect had about a 1 in 16 chance of being arrested for motor vehicle theft in Washington that year.
The chance of being seriously punished is even slimmer. Under current sentencing laws in Washington, it takes five convictions before a juvenile car thief can receive more than 30 days detention. Upon the fifth conviction for auto theft, the juvenile offender receives a sentence of 15 to 36 weeks (3.75 to 9 months). The sentencing range for a first time adult charged with auto theft is 0 to 60 days in jail. It takes seven convictions before an adult auto thief faces a prison sentence. Even then, the 12-month sentence becomes an actual sentence of six months after good time reductions are factored in.
To fight the growing epidemic of auto theft in King County, it is time for the community and the criminal justice system to come together. Citizens and businesses in our community are worried about the severity of this problem and demand action. While legislative changes should be considered to ensure that auto theft laws provide a meaningful deterrent, this problem can not wait for, and will not be solved by, legislative action alone.
Car Theft in Washington and King County
In 2004, Washington State experienced a 9.4% increase in motor vehicle theft. But the numbers have been steadily climbing for decades. In 1988, 19,506 vehicles were reported stolen. Ten years later that number skyrocketed to 33,202 - an increase of over 70%. In the year 2004, the number reached a record - 44,596 - a 34% increase over 1998. (See attached chart #2.) And, the auto theft rate continues to spike this year, up nearly 15% over the record set in 2004.
While the state as a whole has struggled with this car theft epidemic, the greatest burden has fallen on King County and the City of Seattle. Approximately 47% of all auto thefts reported in Washington State in 2003 occurred within King County even though the population of King County comprises only 30% of the State's population. In 2004, some 46% of all auto thefts in King County occurred in the City of Seattle. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports that Seattle ranked eleventh nationally in car theft in 2003. Tacoma ranked fourteenth.
