The Citizen Response

The Citizen Response
Alert citizens are the number one defense against auto theft. The following list of tips can help make your car harder to steal:

* Always lock your car and take your keys.
* Never leave a spare key attached to your car or in your car.
* When possible park your car in a secure location such as a locked garage.
* Choose well lit parking spaces that are easily observed and that have foot traffic nearby.
* Consider simple auto theft deterrents:
• Steering wheel locks
• Alarms
• Ignition lockout switches
• Fuel cutoffs
* Never leave wallets, purses, personal identification, driver's licenses, credit cards, debit cards, or bank cards in a parked car.
* Never leave auto titles, loan agreements, or payment books in your car.
* Never leave your cellular telephone in your car.
* Never leave valuables in plain view in a parked car.
* If you suspect that someone is attempting to steal a car, call the police immediately.

Most auto thefts involve use of the stolen car as a transportation tool while the thief is involved in committing some other crime. Regardless of the age of the suspect, cars are rarely stolen for "joy-riding" purposes. In most cases, illegal drug use or distribution is involved. Most cars are not taken for the purpose of disassembly and subsequent sale of the parts.

The Method
The most targeted vehicles in our city are Asian-imported cars and trucks. Toyota is the most frequently listed manufacturer of the vehicles stolen from Everett. The criminal community has learned that the ignition system from these vehicles is easier to defeat than the ignitions of many other manufacturers. In some cases, the ignition switch is broken by brute force. In other cases, suspects use "shaved-keys", "jiggle keys", or "try out keys" to defeat the vehicle ignition. These are keys altered to allow an ignition lock to be picked. These methods have been used for about ten years in our area.

In about one half of the auto theft cases, stolen cars are recovered by officers after the stereo or other auto accessories are removed. In many cases, identification and credit cards left behind in a car are used by the auto thief to access the car owner's bank account.

Those who steal cars in Everett often do so in a "relay fashion". The thief steals a car, uses it in criminal activity, abandons the car and steals another car close by. Sometimes the suspect returns to the first stolen car and uses it again. Some auto thieves choose to swap license plates from a similar vehicle with those from the stolen car.

The Locations
Automobile thieves like to steal cars in areas where a vehicle is left unattended for a long time. Transit parking lots, theaters, shopping malls and apartment complex parking lots are favorite targets.

The Police Response
Our proactive Anti-Crime Teams (ACT) and our beat officers take a daily interest in locating stolen vehicles. Patrol officers recover stolen cars almost every day. Auto Theft Detail detectives are committed to thorough and complete investigation of auto theft suspects. Their professional efforts assure thorough case preparation for the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney.