Stopping Stolen Cars
SUNNYSIDE -- Sunnyside Police are getting the job done. The rate of car thefts in the city is now half what it was just a year ago.
Sunnyside watched more than 260 cars fall to thieves in 2008, a number even Deputy Chief Phil Schenck admits is high for a city of their size.
"There were days that we would lose 4,5 cars. There were days when there weren't any cars stolen that's almost a car a day."
The primary cause of their stolen cars is drivers keeping their engines running unattended.
Police here have been working on the problem for the last year and they've had incredible results. A 50% drop in stolen cars in a 12 month period, but instead of targeting the crooks, they went after local drivers. Funded overtime patrols and handed out free steering wheel locks, thanks to a an auto theft grant.
"It's not a 100% guarantee I understand but at least it will slow down the process of anyone doing it again," says Erica Rollinger.
Rollinger almost had her Honda stolen and she's a Sunnyside detective. So when she heard about the program she was one of the first to use it.
"It could have been trends but I think it had to do with a very easy opportunity crime," says Erica Rollinger.
The basic lesson; the easier you make it for criminals to take your car the more likely you are to lose it.
"They take them to commit other crimes in what better way to conceal your crime than with a car that's not registered to you," says Officer Rob Layman.
Whatever they chose to do, it clearly registered with local drivers. It wouldn't take much for other cities in the county to copy Sunnyside's success.
Sunnyside watched more than 260 cars fall to thieves in 2008, a number even Deputy Chief Phil Schenck admits is high for a city of their size.
"There were days that we would lose 4,5 cars. There were days when there weren't any cars stolen that's almost a car a day."
The primary cause of their stolen cars is drivers keeping their engines running unattended.
Police here have been working on the problem for the last year and they've had incredible results. A 50% drop in stolen cars in a 12 month period, but instead of targeting the crooks, they went after local drivers. Funded overtime patrols and handed out free steering wheel locks, thanks to a an auto theft grant.
"It's not a 100% guarantee I understand but at least it will slow down the process of anyone doing it again," says Erica Rollinger.
Rollinger almost had her Honda stolen and she's a Sunnyside detective. So when she heard about the program she was one of the first to use it.
"It could have been trends but I think it had to do with a very easy opportunity crime," says Erica Rollinger.
The basic lesson; the easier you make it for criminals to take your car the more likely you are to lose it.
"They take them to commit other crimes in what better way to conceal your crime than with a car that's not registered to you," says Officer Rob Layman.
Whatever they chose to do, it clearly registered with local drivers. It wouldn't take much for other cities in the county to copy Sunnyside's success.
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