WEB PAGE TOOLS ~ Print this article ~ E-mail your opinion on this article OTHER FEATURES STORIES ~ Multicultural community meets at Crossroads ~ A drive across the 'Top of the World' ~ One man, one island, one bird, one world ~ Victim-support groups hold street corner vigil against police brutality Every 15 minutes: Catching, prosecuting car thieves not easy tasks PART TWO OF A TWO-PART SERIES Christiane Helbig Special to The Ebbtide Previous Page Prosecuting and penalties Laura Poellet, King County deputy prosecuting attorney, currently works with the Felony Filing Unit. "We [KCPAO] most often prosecute for car theft those who we can prove stole cars," she said. This may sound bizarre. However, it perfectly describes the dilemma. The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) states that auto theft is "taking motor vehicle without permission" (TMV) and can only be charged if the suspect is caught driving or knowingly riding in a stolen vehicle. Since June 2002, TMV has been split up into TMV 1 and TMV 2. Before, there was only TMV, a Class C felony, and the law did not differentiate between a chop-shop operation (now TMV 1 and a Class B felony) and joyriding (now TMV 2 and a Class C felony). The maximum sentence for TMV 1 is 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. "Someone found guilty of TMV 1, with no prior felony convictions, receives a standard range sentence of 6 to 12 months," Poellet elaborated. A person convicted of TMV 2 can be sentenced to up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. However, a first time TMV 2 offender with no prior felony convictions will receive a standard range sentence between zero and 60 days. Illustration by Devin Yu   Obviously, catching perpetrators driving and riding in stolen cars is the best scenario in order to get a conviction. However, that is often not the case. If a suspect is caught sitting in a stolen car or his/her fingerprints are traced to a stolen vehicle, he or she may be charged with possession of stolen property (PSP). PSP is divided in three degrees depending on the value of the stolen item. A person is convicted of PSP in the first degree, a Class B felony, if he/she possesses stolen property that exceeds $1,500. Since Washington uses a person's criminal history and the level of the crime to determine the actual sentence, PSP offenders may face different penalties than a person convicted of TMV, Poellet explained. King County's 2001 Annual Report shows 174 adult felony charges, arrests and citations for vehicle theft. The number of juvenile felony charges for vehicle theft in the same year was 105. A large number of vehicle thefts are committed by juveniles, according to the FBI. While the crime is the same, juveniles face much lower penalties than adults. According to a 1999 policy paper from the KCPAO, a juvenile offender must be convicted five times for auto theft to receive more than 30 days detention. The sentence can be 15 to 36 weeks in a Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility. Act responsibly The National Insurance Crime Bureau recommends the "Layered Approach of Protection" to vehicle owners. Shoreline police theft data shows that you don't have to be gone from your car for very long to have it stolen. And, if a thief is determined to get your car, he or she is going to steal it even if you have taken all the precautions possible. However, as previously described, only a professional thief will make such an effort. The majority of car thefts are committed by the "casual," often juvenile, car thief. Both Huston and Williams see an audible alarm as the most effective device to deter thieves. "If nothing else, it [the alarm] scares them away," said Williams. Huston calls it target hardening: "Alarms make it harder for thieves to steal your car. They will go find an easier target." LAYERED APPROACH OF PROTECTION (National Insurance Crime Bureau) Layer One - Common Sense Remove your keys from the ignition Lock your doors / close window Park in well-lit areas Layer Two - Warning Device 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 Window etching Laminated glass Layer Three - Immobilizing Device Smart keys Fuse cut-offs Kill switches Starter, fuel and ignition disabler Bait cars help in catching thieves Some police departments use bait cars equipped with special tracking devices. "The Minnesota Police Department put it in their bait cars and follow that vehicle when it has been stolen. Once they get close, they are able to shut down everything," described Williams. "The engine shuts down; the doors automatically lock. It is completely immobilized." Video cameras inside can catch the thieves in the act. The Seattle Police Department already uses two bait cars. Lightning does strike twice On a warm summer night, we were sleeping with the window open. My husband woke up in the middle of the night because he heard a noise. "It sounded like smashing glass, and I could hear a car drive off," he said. We assumed somebody's car was just stolen. I had heard something too, but I thought I was dreaming. I put my glasses on and looked out our bedroom window. I started screaming, "There is somebody sitting in our car." I turned the light on and knocked against the window. Then I watched as the person got out of the passenger side of our car, casually walked over to another car and drove off. I tried to read the license plate, but it was too dark. While I was literally freaking out, my husband had grabbed the phone and was talking to the police. After the first time our car was stolen, we had had an alarm installed which had to be activated independently from locking the car doors. The new radio had a removable face plate which we removed from the car at night. Every once in a while, we would forget to set the alarm and take the face plate. This happened to be one of those nights. The second attempt to steal our car was a great lesson for me. Human beings often think lightning cannot strike twice at the same place. The society we live in forces us to take certain safety measures and teaches us to be zealous about it at all times. It is sad that we have to take such serious precautions in protecting our property. However, it is a fact of life. Save yourself the time, aggravation and money by taking the necessary actions before it is too late. Avoid learning the lesson the hard way. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™