New Task Force Reverses Tide of Auto Thefts

SANTA ANA — In its first year of operation, a special task force created to put a dent in organized auto thefts recovered 251 stolen vehicles worth an estimated $3 million and arrested nearly 90 people, according to a report issued by the district attorney’s office Tuesday.

The Orange County Auto Theft Task Force, which includes county prosecutors, California Highway Patrol officers, FBI agents and local police, is being credited with an overall reduction in auto thefts of about 7.8%, or 814 vehicles, from the previous year. The reduction marks the first decline in a 10-year trend of skyrocketing auto thefts, authorities said.

With Orange County accounting for about 10%, or 20,216 vehicles, of California’s auto thefts in 1993, the task force has saved citizens “a tremendous amount of money in loss and stolen goods,” Garden Grove Police Chief Stanley L. Knee, a task force member, said.

“When you take down these organizations . . . we are actually a safer community because of it,” Knee said.

Funded by a $1 fee from each vehicle registered in the county, the task force began with a budget of $1.8 million, said Loren Duchesne, the task force’s executive board chairman. Its mission is to “identify, apprehend and prosecute professional vehicle thieves,” he said.

The task force has made 88 arrests, 13 that resulted in state prison sentences averaging three years, and investigated 92 businesses for possible “chop shop” activities, where mechanics illegally switch serial numbers to prepare cars for resale or dismantle them for parts. Like its Los Angeles County counterpart, the task force is only a year old. San Diego County’s program, the first in the state, is 2 years old.

Among those arrested by the Orange County task force were two men in November, 1993, who hijacked meat trucks at gunpoint and sold the meat and vehicles. The two were charged with kidnaping for the purpose of robbery, according to the task force report.

In a Fountain Valley case, task force members recovered 42 cars worth a total of about $672,000, the report said. No arrests have been made pending the completion of the investigation, the report said.

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Duchesne said the Orange County task force is also developing a computerized system that would allow investigators countywide to track where cars are being stolen and other pertinent details, such as the vehicle’s model, time and date of theft and location of recovery.

Task force officials said a state Senate bill that created the anti-auto theft program is up for review next year. Under a sunset clause, the program will be terminated Dec. 31, 1995, unless SB-2139 is extended by the Legislature.

“I am deeply concerned the . . . law will not be renewed and we will not be able to continue,” Knee said.

The task force provides a valuable resource for police departments with limited budgets, he said.

“Auto theft was out of control,” Knee said. “Local law enforcement were faced with many more problems than we could handle, with the rise in gangs and violent crimes.” He added that funds from police departments’ auto theft budgets were often used in other areas of law enforcement. In the first six months of the task force’s existence, Garden Grove’s auto theft decreased 18%, he said.

“We want to keep building on the expertise we have established,” said Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters, also a task force member. “Southern California has so many cars that it’s natural for a career criminal to target. They just don’t stay in one county. That’s why coordination is so important.”

Fewer Auto Thefts In its first year, the Orange County Auto Theft Task Force recovered 251 vehicles worth $3 million. Forming the special force are local police, the Orange County district attorney’s office, the California Highway Patrol, the California Department of Motor Vehicles, the FBI and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. *

Program Effect Vehicle thefts in the county have declined since the task force began work in July, 1993: July-Dec. 1992: 10, 417 Jan-June 1993: 10,520 July-Dec. 1993: 9,696 Jan.-June 1994: 9,613 *

Arrests and Prosecutions Task force arrests: 88 Assisted arrests*: 66 Task force prosecutions: 41 Other prosecutions*: 57 * The Orange County Auto Theft Task Force has assisted in the initial program development in three other counties. *

Thieves’ Targets The most frequently stolen types of automobiles in Orange County in 1993: Cars * Oldsmobile Cutlass (1975-84 models) *Toyota Corolla (1975-84) * Toyota Celica (1975-84) *

Trucks and vans * Toyota pickup (1985-94) * Chevrolet pickup (1985-94) * Toyota van (1975-84) *

Motorcycles * Honda (1985-94) * Yamaha (1985-94) * Suzuki (1984-94) Source: Orange County Auto Theft Task Force