By Sandy Wells
KABC News
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area is the car-theft capital of the nation. To reach that exalted status, 57,247 vehicles were stolen from their rightful owners in 2015. San Francisco came in at No. 2. Frank Scafidi with the National Insurance Crime Bureau says many cars are recovered, but they’ve been stripped.
“That’s really the reason a lot of vehicles are stolen is because older vehicles in particular – and when you look at what’s most stolen in California, as well as the rest of the country – it’s Honda’s and Toyota’s and things like that – they sell gazillions of them, they last forever and when people bang them up, they take care of them. And a lot of those parts are supplied by the underground market which comes from stolen vehicles.”
Most vehicle parts are resold in the region.
“But when you get into that underground, lots of things happen. They can be shipped to different states, they can be put on sale online … even whole cars we find, very often, for sale on Craigslist and some of these other sites. It’s a very vibrant but illegal economy.”
However, when it comes to the number of cars stolen per capita, Scafidi says Modesto, California is the No. 1 city in the nation. The L.A. – Long Beach – Anaheim area came in in at No. 26. Eight of the Top 10 cities for per capita theft of vehicles were in California.
Scafidi was a guest on 790 KABC’s McIntyre in the Morning Show with Doug McIntyre and Terri-Rae Elmer.
Below are helpful tips from the LAPD you can use to avoid being the victim of a car thief:
- Never leave your car running unattended, even to dash into a business, store, etc.
- Never leave any keys in the car or ignition, inside a locked garage, or in hide-a-key boxes.
- Always roll up your windows and lock the car, even if it is parked in front of your home.
- Never leave valuables in plain view, even if your car is locked. Put them in the trunk out of sight.
- Always park in high-traffic, well-lighted areas, when possible;
Install a mechanical device that locks the steering wheel, column, or brakes. These devices will deter some criminals. - Investigate the purchase of a vehicle theft tracking/security system, especially if you own one of the frequently stolen model vehicles.
- Never leave personal identification documents, vehicle ownership title, or credit cards in your vehicle.
- Copy your license plate and vehicle information (VIN) numbers on a card and keep them with you. If your vehicle is stolen, the police will need this information to take a report; and,
If your vehicle is stolen, report it to the police immediately.
