Preventing Car Theft In The MacArthur Park Neighborhood

In order to create a safer neighborhood crime stats from crime reports most of the crime for the MacArthur Park Neighborhood is car theft. In the past month alone there have been ten. So, here's all the wisdom about car preventing car theft in a single place. The top month cars are stolen is July and August. 

Of those cars stolen only 52% are recovered. Short of installing a Lojack system on all the older cars, how can we bring down those numbers? Let's start with the cars that are stolen the most often: During 2013, according to the NICB, with total units cited:

Here are the most common cars that may get stolen: 


What Cars Get Stolen?

1. Honda Accord
2. Honda Civic
3. Chevrolet Silverado
4. Ford F-150
5. Toyota Camry
6. Dodge Ram Pickup
7. Dodge Caravan
8. Jeep Cherokee
9. Toyota Corolla
10. Nissan Altima

The Nissan Altima: A Target for Theives

Top-selling older cars are stolen far more often than brand new cars. This may be because many newer models come with very effective anti theft devices. Older cars are typically taken to chop shops where they are dissected into replacement components which are later marketed on Internet sites and/or sold to unscrupulous auto-parts dealers.

In McArthur Park, especially on Anaheim you will notice a lot of smaller car shops.

Sometimes, thieves steal the car, sometimes they just break in. Be aware radios and wheel covers aren't the only thing thieves may take. The most popular targets are: engine, transmission, air bags, radios, GPS units, iPods, laptops, and purses.

You can't do something to protect the entire list. You can hide your valuables.

How Do You Stop The Car Thieves?

Here are some ways to prevent car theft:

1. Many insurers suggest keeping your registration in a secret place in the car so thieves can't produce proof of registration.
2. Don't leave the keys in the ignition, the car running and double check to see the doors are locked.
3. When parked, never leave your keys in the car. Close all the windows and the sunroof if you have one.
4. Avoid leaving valuables inside your vehicle where they can be seen.
5. Park in a well lit area. Some neighbors park in front of my building because I have security cameras.
6. Have your car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) etched on each of the windows. Car thieves want to get off cheap. They don’t want to go to the expense of replacing all the glass.
7. Put on your parking brake and turn the wheels turned toward the curb or some other obstruction. This makes it harder for thieves to tow your vehicle.
8. f you see someone loitering around the parking lot, it’s best to park somewhere else. Walk a few extra steps if you think safety is an issue.

What Do I Do If My Car Is Stolen?

Auto Theft Has Been Decreasing Since 1991

First make sure your car is actually stolen. On more than one occasion I was in the wrong parking lot and jumped to the conclusion my car was taken. 

Maybe you parked on a different level, or in a different row. Also there are other reasons your car might be gone. Did you park next to a hydrant, in a red zone, in the handicapped space or in a loading and unloading only zone?  You may want to check the police impound before you assume it was theft.

If it was stolen, call the police immediately. Most crimes that get solved, get solved in the first 48 hours, so call ASAP and improve the odds you'll get your car back. After calling the police, ask any people in the area if they saw what happened.

If your car is stolen, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recommends you give the following information to the police:

1. The year, make, model and color of the car and the license plate number
2. Approximate time the car was stolen
3. Description of anyone you saw loitering around your car before it was stolen
4. Names of witnesses
5. Check online places like eBay and Criags List. In some cases, people have found their own car up for sale on these sites.

What About Anti-Theft Devices?

In order of how effective they are, here are the basic anti theft devices.

The passive immobilizer is now standard equipment on 98% of General Motors' light duty vehicles and nearly all of the new Fords. These immobilizers use a key that contains a computer chip which communicates with the car's engine.

Vehicle Tracking/ ALA Lojack.Even if a thief steals your car, new vehicle tracking technologies can get it back again. The least expensive form of vehicle tracking is “VIN etching.” The more expensive tracking devices are electronic and offer a real-time location of the stolen vehicle using Global Positioning Systems (GPS). These are sold with service contracts, and have a reputation for relocating many vehicles a mere hour after they have been stolen.

Kill Switch: This anti-theft device can be activated to shut down part of the engine's electrical system. (I know you’ve seen this used in “bait cars” on the “COPS” TV show.) Some cars have them built in, and they are pretty easy to install. 

Car alarms feature electronic sensors designed to activate when a vehicle is breached: unauthorized entry, breaking of glass, sudden movement, and perimeter violations. When a threat is detected by the sensors, a siren activates (at over 120 dBs), alerting the car’s driver and everyone else within earshot.

Mechanical Immobilizers are the least expensive car anti-theft devices, designed to restrict access to or movement of the vehicle. The biggest advantage of mechanical immobilizers is their highly visual appearance, which should ward off amateur car thieves, but not the pros. Police authorities recommend including one of these in conjunction with other anti-theft devices.  There are also hood clamps, wheel clamps and steering wheel locks.

The FBI says car thefts are back on a downward trend after seeing a slight increase in 2012. The FBI predicts its final 2013 statistics (to be pasted later this year) will see a 3.2 percent reduction Let's also bring those numbers down in the MacAthur Park Neighborhood..