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 Every 15 minutes: Auto thefts on the risePART ONE OF A TWO-PART SERIES Christiane Helbig Ebbtide Reporter Previous Page Who is stealing your car? The young "chronic auto thief" is an example of a serial auto thief. They usually steal cars to drive around in and joyride until the gas is gone. These thieves will look for the easiest car to steal. Cars without an alarm or anti-theft devices are preferred. Williams compared it to burglar alarms in houses: "You have some [houses] that have a burglar alarm and some that don't. If they [the thieves] come over and see that your house is alarmed, they will go on to the next one." Williams estimates that 90 percent of vehicle thefts are done by these casual thieves. According to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, most of the offenders are unlicensed juveniles looking for a quick thrill and gain of personal property such as car seats, stereos and cell phones. Nationwide FBI data from 2000 shows that 68 percent of 9,291 arrestees for incidents where only one vehicle was stolen were between 12 and 24 years old.
Williams described the groups who ship vehicles abroad as "the ones before you wake up in the morning, your car is already on its way to Russia." Chop shops either use parts from stolen cars to repair other cars or they try to resell the stolen vehicle for profit. Members of chop shops steal a vehicle and strip it. They put the remaining shell out on the street, so the police will find it. The owner's insurance company then declares the shell a total loss and auctions it. The group who stole the vehicle goes to the auction to buy the shell back for maybe $200. They take it back to their chop shop and put everything back together. After being reassembled, the car is registered and re-licensed and can be sold as a legal vehicle. They are sometimes able to sell such a vehicle for $15,000 or $20,000. The professional car thieves who ship vehicles abroad are stealing high-end vehicles such as Porsches, Lexuses, Mercedes, BMWs and SUVs. Williams explained that it is like the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds." The thieves receive a list of the wanted vehicles and have a deadline by which time these cars have to be in the container ready to ship. According to Williams, this happens rather infrequently, maybe every two or three years, in King County. Detective Ron Huston, Lake Forest Park Police Department, also states that chop shops are not very common. The majority of stolen cars are used as a tool of transportation and for joyrides. Among the professional car thieves, a rather new technique of legalizing stolen cars has become popular: car cloning. This technique involves copying a vehicle identification number (VIN) from a legally owned and documented vehicle and putting it on the stolen car. Williams offered this example: the thief wants to steal a 2000 Ford Explorer. He goes to Canada and finds a 2000 Ford Explorer and copies down the VIN. After he returns to the United Staetes, he steals a 2000 Ford Explorer and creates a fake VIN plate using the Canadian VIN, which he places in the stolen vehicle. The stolen car is now a "clone" of the original vehicle and can be legally licensed and registered. "The Canadian VIN registration system does not connect to the U.S.' system," Williams explained. "Now you have two vehicles with the same information driving around in the world except one is in Canada and one is in the U.S." It is difficult to know who steals a car. Gibler observed that thefts on the SCC campus seem to occur on days when the local high schools have only half days, which leads her to the assumption that they might be responsible for these crimes. However, it is impossible to tell unless someone is caught in the act. One and a half years ago, two men were arrested in their car. Police found stolen items and parts from other cars in their vehicle. Gibler stated it was not clear if they attempted to steal a car and were interrupted or if they were just prowling cars. These two men happened to be in their 20s and not from this general area. What locations are popular? While the SCC parking lots appear relatively safe, apartment complexes and major streets are common theft locations. Both in 2001 and 2002, approximately 40 percent of vehicle thefts in Shoreline occurred in apartment parking lots. These parking lots are usually easily accessible and offer a great variety of cars. Williams explained that another important factor thieves consider is quick access to major roads and freeways. This explains why more thefts occur in close proximity to Interstate 5 and major streets such as Aurora Avenue and Ballinger Way. King County statistics show that more vehicles are recovered than stolen in Shoreline. The King County 2001 Annual Report shows that a total of 3,427 vehicles had been stolen. Only 1,223 vehicles stolen in King County were recovered within the limits of the county. Recoveries made for other agencies amounted to 1,854. This data indicates that many vehicles are not recovered within the area where they were stolen. According to the FBI, 77 percent of all stolen vehicles are recovered, of which 50 percent are found within the first three days after their disappearance. The FBI also found that the first few days after the theft occurred are critical in recovering stolen vehicles. The more days pass, the smaller the chance of recovery. If a stolen vehicle has not been recovered after six days, there is only a 19 percent chance that it will ever be recovered. To find out how authorities follow up on vehicle thefts and how owners can prevent these personal tragedies, see part two of "Every 15 minutes" in the May 9 edition of the Ebbtide. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™ |
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