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The CHP said that statewide vehicle thefts are down for the fourth consecutive year.
“Vehicle theft prevention efforts by law enforcement agencies and the public are paying off,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Since 2005, California has realized a 35-percent reduction in stolen vehicles.”
The agency attributes the decrease in thefts to enforcement, education and technology – all three of which have contributed to the largest decrease in decades of the number of vehicle thefts in California.
The CHP reported that 169,058 vehicles were stolen in 2009, which represents a 15.4-percent decrease from 2008, when 199,766 vehicles were stolen.
“Even with the decrease, on average, a vehicle is stolen every three minutes in California,” said Farrow.
In Lake County, the trend appears to be the reverse.
For 2009, 156 vehicles were stolen, up 16.4 percent from the 134 vehicles stolen the previous year, according to CHP statistics.
Lake County had approximately 84,941 registered vehicles in 2009, with the 156 stolen vehicles representing 0.27 percent of that number, and 0.09 percent of the statewide thefts, statistics showed.
In Lake's neighboring counties, thefts were mostly down last year. In Yolo, thefts dropped by 14.9 percent, 9.4 percent in Colusa, 9.1 percent in Glenn, 4.2 percent in Mendocino and 1.9 percent in Napa. In Sonoma, there was a 0.6 percent increase in thefts in 2009.
The CHP said that of the vehicles reported stolen in 2009, more than 88 percent were recovered. However, the economic loss to Californians exceeded $1 billion.
Statewide, the number of recoveries actually dropped by 13.5 percent from 2008, when 173,328 vehicles were recovered, to 149,884 vehicles recovered in 2009
Lake County showed an increase in stolen vehicle recoveries. In 2008, 125 stolen vehicles were recovered, a number which increased 5.6 percent to the next year, when 132 were found.
Lake's recovery statistics were far better than those of its neighbors, which registered the following numbers: Colusa, -8.6 percent; Glenn, -37 percent; Mendocino, -21 percent; Napa, -8.8 percent; Sonoma, 1 percent; Yolo, -12.8 percent.
In 2009, the top automobile for theft was the 1991 Honda Accord, followed by several other Honda Accord and Civic models from the 1990s. The CHP said the top personal trucks for theft included 1986, 1987 and 1988 model Toyota pickups, while 2007 Suzuki and Yamahas topped the motorcycle theft list, followed by 2006 through 2008 model year Hondas.
Southern California is a hot spot for vehicle theft, the CHP reported.
Approximately 53.4 percent of all thefts in 2009 occurred in the Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, according to CHP numbers.
“In order to put thieves out of business and keep from becoming a victim, we must remain vigilant in our efforts,” Farrow said.
Law enforcement is aided by the strategic deployment of bait cars, license plate recognition systems, joint task force operations, vehicle theft training and district attorney cooperation to help drive the vehicle theft numbers down year after year, according to CHP officials.
“Vehicle theft is a crime of opportunity,” added Farrow. “Citizens are on the front lines when it comes to prevention.”
The CHP encourages the public to safeguard vehicles by parking in a secure or highly visible location, always locking the vehicle’s doors, using an alarm system and never leaving a vehicle running unattended.
The agency also urged citizens to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.
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