Produced by the San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task ForceProduced by the San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task Force——www.sdratt.comwww.sdratt.com

Over $10-Billion a year lost to cargo theft

Story on page 2

TOP CTOP COPSOPS HHONOREDONORED CCARAR & M& MOTORCYCLEOTORCYCLE TTHIEVESHIEVES:“B:“BEWAREEWARE””

The Auto Theft Advisory Committee

(ATAC) is a partnership between law

enforcement, auto insurance companies and

other auto-related industries. The primary

goal of ATAC is to reduce auto theft in our

community. Last month, the committee held

its annual vehicle theft

recovery Officer of the Year

Awards presentation at The

Prado at Balboa Park

restaurant. This year’s event,

which was emceed by El Cajon

Police Chief Pat Sprecco,

honored 27 police officers,

sheriff deputies and Highway

Patrol Officers throughout San

Diego County for their efforts in the arrest

of 101 vehicle theft suspects.

The 614 stolen vehicle recovered by these

officers had an estimated value of nearly

$4.5 million dollars.

27 law enforcement officers honored for

recovering 614 stolen vehicles in 2010

Officer Steven Breakall from

the El Cajon Police Department

received top honors at the 21st

Annual, ATAC Recovery Officer

of the Year Presentations

Top 5 ATAC Honorees:

1st Place Steven Breakall, El Cajon Police Department

2nd Place Shannon Justice, Sheriff's Department/ Lemon Grove

3rd Place Russell Ryan, Sheriff's Department/ San Marcos

4th Place Mark Hallmark, California Highway Patrol/ El Cajon

5th Place Jason Philpot, Sheriff's Department/ Santee

(view complete list of honorees on page #3)

ATAC would like to thank the following companies,

businesses and organizations for the sponsorship of

this event: The Automobile Club of Southern

California, Lojack Corporation, The New Car Dealers

Association of San Diego County and C & D Towing

RATT-Tales Third Edition-PAGE 1

Thefts of sought-after commodities such as televisions,

camcorders, VCRs, and computers could reach a profit

margin as high as .80 cents on the dollar. For example, an

organized theft group with several reliable buyers that stole a

load of computers valued at one million dollars conceivably

could earn as much as $800,000.00 from the sale of the

commodity.

In California, four regions were identified statistically as

suffering the most significant impact from cargo theft related

crime. They include: Los Angeles, Inland Empire, San Diego

and the San Francisco Bay Area. Each of the identified

regions is a major distribution center with major harbors,

airports, and rail systems, handling millions of cargo

containers and commodities annually.

Additionally, within each of the identified regions exist

thousands of commercial businesses which ship and receive

billions of dollars worth of merchandise routinely by way of

major freeway networks.

In order to Combat cargo thefts in the Golden State, In

1995, the California Highway Patrol established, CTIP.

Cargo Theft Interdiction Program

CTIP operates with five objectives in mind:

1. Establish relationships with private industry

2. Assist allied agencies

3. Increase arrest, prosecution

and conviction of thieves and

those who receive stolen

property

4. Recover cargo/vehicles

5. Establish a statewide

database

With three teams of

i n v e s t i g a t o r s ,

CTIP uses a

regional approach in its effort to increase training of local

law enforcement detectives, responding patrol officers

and private security personnel. The goal of the training is

to improve reporting procedures on the documentation of

cargo theft and other related crimes.

ver the past several years the cost of

cargo theft related crimes has risen

dramatically. It is estimated that

combined losses suffered by the trucking industry, insurance

companies, and the railroads, surpasses $10 BILLION dollars

in the U.S. annually. However, no financial total can

adequately quantify the actual costs of cargo theft related

losses which include jobsite downtime, replacement of stolen

commercial vehicles, time spent

on additional paperwork, and

increased insurance costs.

Prior to 1990, no proactive

enforcement specifically directed

at cargo theft related crimes

existed. In the State of California,

consequently, the criminal element

determined that the level of profit

derived from the theft of cargo

loads far surpassed the risk of

apprehension. What quickly

became apparent to several

unethical entrepreneurs was that profits derived from the theft

and sale of cargoes were substantial and tax free.

California Tops List for Cargo Thefts

O

In 2009, CTIP recovered over $17

-million dollars in stolen cargo

and recovered stolen vehicles

Information: CTIP-Border Team (858) 650-3600 Western States Cargo Theft Association www.wscta.com

RATT-Tales Third Edition-PAGE 2

courtesy: bigrigdriving.com

Layer 1: Common Sense

This one is simple and doesn’t cost you a thing: Lock your doors Remove your keys from the ignition Close your windows completely Park in well-lit areas

Layer 2: Visible or Audible Device

We find vehicle alarms annoying when they go off; so do car thieves. More often than not, they avoid autos with alarms or anti-theft devices. Consider adding a visible or audible anti-theft device to your vehicle.

Audible alarm system Identification markers in or on vehicle Micro dot markings Steering column collars Steering wheel/brake pedal locks Theft deterrent decals Tire lock/deflators Window etching

RATT-Tales Third Edition-PAGE 3

Since its creation in 1992, RATT has conducted over a dozen highly successful major

undercover operations. These operations have resulted in the arrest of hundreds of car and motorcycle thieves and have led to the recovery of stolen vehicles worth millions of dollars.

Eight of the nine titles listed below are examples of some of the colorfully named operations that RATT has conducted over

the last 19 years. One of the operation titles is fake.

Can you spot the fake ?

1995 Operation-“Hot Wheels” 2009 Operation-“Hotel California” 2007 Operation-“Knee Drag”

2004 Operation-“Stones Throw” 2005 Operation-“Deep Impact” 1997 Operation-“Oil Rag”

2008 Operation-”Crossfire” 1996 Operation-”Phoenix” 1994 Operation-”Home Front”

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Layer 3: Vehicle Immobilizer Thieves can bypass your ignition by “hotwiring” a vehicle. But you can put the heat on the bad guys by installing or utilizing a vehicle immobilizer system.

Fuse cut-off Kill switches Smart keys with computer chips that must be present to start the vehicle Starter, ignition and fuel disablers

Layer 4: Tracking System Put your vehicle on the radar screen by installing a tracking system. A tracking system emits a signal to the police or a monitoring service when the vehicle is reported stolen. This added layer of protection can significantly improve the odds of your vehicle being recovered faster and with less damage. The NICB has a partnership program in place so you can receive a discount on proven theft prevention and recovery prod-

A “Layered Approach” to Protecting Your Vehicle

To protect yourself in cold weather, you put on layers of clothing to stay warm. It’s no different when you protect your vehicle from thieves. By following a layered approach, you can put the brakes on vehicle theft. The more layers of protection you put on your vehicle, the more difficult it is to steal. National Insurance Crime Bureau

Continued from page #1

El Cajon Police Chief Pat Sprecco was the guest speaker at the 21st annual Vehicle Theft Recovery Officer of the Year presentations

DID YOU KNOW?

San Diego Police Dept.

Officer Dannie Bihum

Officer Rodney Fisher

Officer Tristan Holmes

Officer James Ford

Officer Patrick Kelley

Officer Nick Ketchum

Officer Marco Perez

Officer Ricardo Pinon

Officer Gary Voss

Officer Eddie Wallin

San Diego County Sheriff’s Dept.

Deputy Nicholas Danza

Deputy Eric Drogemuller

Deputy Craig Hyer

Deputy Andrew Peterson

Deputy Scott Roller

Oceanside Police Dept.

Officer Michael Roberts

California Highway Patrol

Officer Arturo Portillo

Coronado Police Dept.

Officer Shawn O’Neil

La Mesa Police Dept

Officer Daniel Paugh

Escondido Police Dept.

Officer Mark Peterson

National City Police Dept.

Corporal Damian Ballardo

Chula Vista Police Dept.

Officer Edward Tugashov

ith a dramatic decrease in the

number of reported auto thefts, the

San Diego region falls from the top 5

ranking of American cities to

thirteenth place. In 2010, there were

o v e r 1 3 , 7 0 0 c a r s s t o l e n ;

approximately one car for every 200

San Diego County residents.

Auto theft is a problem throughout

the United States, but particularly in

cities bordering Mexico. A motor

vehicle is stolen in the United States

every 33 seconds, and California

ranks first among all states for vehicle

theft. In 2010, more than 158,000 cars

were stolen in California, more than

two times as many as were stolen in

Texas, which ranked second. Nation-

ally, about 60 percent of stolen vehi-

cles are recovered, and only 13 per-

cent of reported thefts result in arrest.

San Diego’s statistics are compara-

ble.

“Finding the car, let alone the thief,

can be a pretty difficult task,” said

Detective Mike Neumann, who

investigates auto theft at the Imperial

Beach Station of the San Diego

County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our proximity to Mexico gives

thieves a significant advantage -- they

can steal the car and drive it across

the border before the owner even

realizes the car is gone.”

Prosecution of suspected thieves has

also proven difficult, due to

evidentiary issues or admissions the

suspect makes about committing

other related crimes but not to

stealing the car.

“Usually, a juror will put himself/

herself in the position of the victim

-- whether it’s an assault, robbery, or

rape, jurors tend to envision the situa-

tion from the perspective of the

victim,” said Sherry Thompson of the

District Attorney’s Office. “But in

cases of auto theft, most people view

it as a victimless crime because car

insurance will cover the bulk of the

costs. That means sometimes we may

not get a conviction unless the

suspect is a repeat offender.”

San Diegans pay a steep price for

these high rates of auto theft. Every

year, one car in every 180 registered

in San Diego County will be stolen.

The average value of a reported

stolen vehicle is $6,751. That

amounts to more than $100 million in

losses in San Diego alone.

The replacement cost of the vehicle

isn’t the only financial burden

victims of auto theft face,” said Chula

Vista police Sgt. Steve Witte of the

San Diego Regional Auto Theft Task

Force (RATT).

“Additional economic loss to victims

include insurance deductibles,

increased insurance premiums, time

spent dealing with police, vehicle

rental fees and lost hours at work.”

Stolen vehicles are also frequently

involved in other crimes, including

robbery, drug trafficking, drive-by

shootings, ATM theft, high speed

pursuits, and gang related incidents.

That’s why RATT is comprised of

Local, State and Federal law

enforcement agencies so that it can

tackle auto theft from a broader

perspective.

“We’re really looking for the career

criminals -- the ones who can steal a

car in 30 seconds and who are doing it

over and over again,” Witte said.

RATT, which was formed in 1992, can

be credited with much of the

significant drop in auto theft in the

region. Between 2007 and 2010, auto

theft dropped 49 percent. But, as Witte

points out, “There is still a long way to

go. Our goal is to catch these career

criminals and get them off our streets.

The community has to do its part, too.”

Putting the breaks on auto theft in San Diego County

1. 1994 Honda Acc

2. 1998 Honda Civ.

3. 1999 Honda Civ.

4. 1991 Honda Acc

5. 1996 Honda Acc

6. 1997 Honda Acc

7. 1997 Honda Civ.

8. 2000 Honda Civ.

9. 1991 Toyota Cam

10. 1990 Honda Acc

“TOP 10”

Automobiles Stolen in

San Diego County

RATT-Tales Third Edition-PAGE 4

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Source: C.H.P.-2010