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Car Thieves Take the Bait



Modesto, CA Records Dramatic Vehicle Theft Reduction; Las Vegas, NV Now
Ranks as Country's Number One Metro Area With Highest Theft Rate

DES PLAINES, Ill., April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National
Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported today that after three consecutive
years as the area with the worst per capita vehicle theft rate in the
nation, Modesto, CA has fallen into the number five position-a dramatic
improvement. Taking over the "Number One Hot Spot" is Las Vegas, NV.
As in 2005, the western United States still ranks as the area of the
country with the highest auto theft rates. All of the nation's top ten
areas are in the west with five of them in California.

For 2006, the ten metropolitan statistical areas with the highest
vehicle theft rates are:

1. Las Vegas/Paradise, NV
2. Stockton, CA
3. Visalia/Porterville, CA
4. Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, AZ
5. Modesto, CA
6. Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, WA
7. Sacramento/Arden-Arcade/Roseville, CA
8. Fresno, CA
9. Yakima, WA
10. Tucson, AZ

According to Hot Spots, its annual report on auto theft rates, NICB
reviewed data supplied by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for
each of the nation's 361 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). MSAs are
designated by the Office of Management and Budget and may include areas
surrounding a specific city.

The rate is determined by the number of vehicle theft offenses per
100,000 inhabitants using the 2005 U.S. Census Population Estimates, the
most current figures available.

Preliminary FBI data shows a 2.3% decrease in motor vehicle thefts
during January-June, 2006, when compared with the same period in 2005.
Nationally, this is the third straight year of decreases in vehicle theft.
"People can take any number of precautions to protect themselves from
vehicle theft and, in most cases, those are sufficient to prevent a theft,"
said NICB President and Chief Executive Officer Robert M. Bryant. "But a
determined thief, a serial vehicle thief, is someone for whom there is no
absolute deterrent-except prison.

"NICB, through the support of its member companies, has pursued an
aggressive "Bait Vehicle" and License Plate Reader Program around the
nation. These cutting-edge enforcement tools offer law enforcement the
latest in high- tech crime fighting, and are partly responsible for the
absolutely outstanding results achieved in Modesto. When used in
conjunction with comprehensive legislation and aggressive prosecution,
police on the street can have a tremendous impact on vehicle theft and
other crimes," added Bryant.

NICB recommends the following actions under its "layered approach" to
protection that automobile owners can take to minimize their risk and
prevent their car from becoming the next statistic:

Common Sense -- An unlocked vehicle with a key in the ignition is an
open invitation to any thief, regardless of which anti-theft device you
use. The common sense approach to protection is the simplest and most
cost-effective way to thwart would-be thieves. Secure your vehicle even if
parking for brief periods. You should always:
-- Remove your keys from the ignition
-- Lock your doors/close your windows
-- Park in a well-lit area

Warning Device--The second layer of protection is a visible or audible
device which alerts thieves that your vehicle is protected. Popular second
layer devices include:

-- Audible alarms
-- Steering column collars
-- Steering wheel/brake pedal lock
-- Brake locks
-- Wheel locks
-- Tire locks/tire deflators
-- Theft deterrent decals
-- Identification markers in or on vehicle
-- VIN etching
-- Micro dot marking

Immobilizing Device--The third layer of protection is a device which
prevents thieves from bypassing your ignition and hot-wiring the vehicle.
Some electronic devices have computer chips in ignition keys. Other devices
inhibit the flow of electricity or fuel to the engine until a hidden switch
or button is activated. Popular third layer devices include:
-- Smart keys
-- Fuse cut-offs
-- Kill switches
-- Starter, ignition, and fuel pump disablers
-- Wireless ignition authentication

Tracking Device--The final layer of protection is a tracking device
which emits a signal to police or a monitoring station when the vehicle is
stolen. Tracking devices are very effective in helping authorities recover
stolen vehicles. Some systems employ "telematics" which combine GPS and
wireless technologies to allow remote monitoring of a vehicle. If the
vehicle is moved the system will alert the owner and the vehicle can be
tracked via computer.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau is the nation's leading non-profit
organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating
insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis,
investigations, training and public awareness.

Anyone with information concerning auto theft and insurance fraud can
report it anonymously by calling toll-free 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422)
or by visiting our web site.
For the complete information on Hot Spots 2006, please visit
http://www.nicb.org.



SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Damn. There's a lot in Cali.

We're sooo into our cars. Way too much...

mmarshall

No. by the looks of the article, you're into OTHER people's cars .

mmarshall

Seriously, I find the biggest surprise to be not having New York City on the list. NYC has a longstanding, and well-deserved, reputation for the here-now, gone 15 minutes-later syndrome. Those street guys in New York would steal a White House limo right out from under the Secret Service's nose.

Crime DID go down in NYC during Giuliani's term but is still a serious problem.

sleeper408

iTrader: (6)

I read this list a few issues ago on R&T. It didn't surprise me that CA was on there several times. I have heard many stories over different boards.

mmarshall

I read that same article in R&T, but nobody, not even them, can seem to come up with a plausible reason why theft is highest on the West Coast.

One reason for theft is unscrupulous repair shops looking for cheap, quickly available auto parts, but you've got those all over the country.

92 SC400

Funny how Ca has so many on there yet they are kind of isolated areas. Those are not very highly populated areas nor are those cities very big. Are these per capita or something? If I saw San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and Ca cities like that I'd understand this more but it just seems strange that a little place like Visalia has more theft than any of those cities.

Shawnmack

Newark New Jersaey's not ont the list. That used to be the car theft capital of the world

mmarshall

Probably because nobody can stand to be outside in all that smoke anymore.
Newark was not just the King of car thefts but of oil refineries as well.

MrG4Life

iTrader: (14)

Yeah crime did go down and credit Giulliani for that but like in other cities it's starting to rise slowly. I was a victim twice of car theft living in NY. On my way to work I walk through a parking lot where thieves and joy riders steal cars and dump them there. The latest car was a brand new Toyota Camry. Within a week, the car was stripped clean. Whatever was left is for the vandals who've broken the glass, tossed garbage in it and write grafitti on it. It hurts when you've modded your and to have it taken from you.

newr

I live in one of those cities. Thieves burn in hell..

juniorEXE

people tell me in the the top tier cities, thieves dont wait to jack a parked car. they will go about it GTA on playstation style

AM1

iTrader: (6)

good thing i always valet my car when im in vegas.

joonsta

lol audible alarms are a joke...everyone just thinks of it as noise pollution.

MrG4Life

iTrader: (14)

Right on. A lot are so sensitive that they go off constantly like when a dump truck barrels down the street. I tell ya some people wouldn't even look twice if they hear a car alarm going off unless if it were the car's owner. I have one too but it's not that sensitive. Along with a brake pedal lock they are both forms of protection.