Auto thefts preventable, officer says
by Derrick Ayres, reporter

    As part of Crime Prevention Month, Deputy Sheriff Michael Guthrie, with the Tarrant Regional Auto Theft Task Force, presented Auto Theft 101 to NE Campus students recently.

   In Tarrant County last year, 8,101 automobiles were reported stolen—about one every hour, around the clock, Guthrie said.

   Fort Worth and Arlington account for approximately 75 percent of all reported cases in the Tarrant region, Guthrie said. Malls and areas of high traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, are prime areas for auto theft, Guthrie reported.

   If there is a large mass of people and a large number of cars, Guthrie said, it does not look unusual for a person to be milling about looking for his parked car or checking to see who left their doors unlocked.

   Guthrie reported that the five most frequently reported stolen automobiles are the Chevrolet pickup, Ford pickup, Honda Accord, GMC pickup and Toyota Camry.

   Only 77 percent of stolen vehicles from Texas are recovered, typically with substantial damage to the body and steering column.

   Automobile theft accounts for 10 percent of property crimes and 50 percent of property losses in Texas each year, Guthrie said. Vehicles stolen from Texas have been found in 47 countries.

   To protect vehicles, Guthrie recommends using common sense.

   “The best thing people can do to keep their car from being stolen is take your keys from the car,” he said. “There is no reason to provide valet service for a car thief.”

   Half of the vehicles stolen had unlocked doors, and 20–25 percent have the keys in them, Guthrie said. It is illegal in Texas to leave the keys in an unattended vehicle.

vGuthrie urged vehicle owners to put valuables out of sight, park in well-lit areas and keep windows closed when they leave their cars.

   Guthrie also suggested audible or visible deterrents, such as a steering wheel lock or an alarm. Though alarms have become a daily annoyance, they still work effectively.

   “You hear the alarm, and you glance and there is no one there, which means the car is not being stolen,” he said.

   Another option, though more costly, is a disabling device. These work to prevent the car from starting without pushing a hidden sensor or using a key chip.

   Tracking devices can be helpful in the recovery of a stolen vehicle, but may not prevent car theft.

   Car theft does happen to normal people. Cpl. Riggs Byther, of the TCC campus police, said his Oldsmobile was stolen from his driveway. When his car was found at an abandoned house, property was missing from the trunk, and he had to start it with a pocketknife.

   The Texas Automobile Theft Prevention Authority has several free programs to help protect vehicle owners from car theft. From etching VIN numbers into windows to enrolling in the free Help End Auto Theft program, everyone has options. For more information, contact 1-800-CAR-WATCH or a local police department.