LV area fifth on car-theft list

Wednesday, June 11, 2003 | 9:15 a.m.

Las Vegas ranks among the top five cities in the nation for car thefts during 2002.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau and the FBI moved Las Vegas into fifth place, with Phoenix and the California cities of Fresno, Modesto and Stockton-Lodi, in the first through the fourth places for car thefts.

The annual report was released Tuesday.

In 2002 Phoenix recorded 1,257.6 cars stolen per 100,000 people, while Las Vegas had 992.7 car thefts per 100,000 people.

In 2001 Las Vegas ranked 11th in the survey of 336 metropolitan areas and 14th in 2000.

Phoenix was No. 1 in 2001 and third in 2000.

Rounding out the top 10 hot spots for car thieves were Miami, Sacramento, Oakland, Calif., Seattle-Bellevue-Everett and Tacoma, Wash.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting insurance fraud and theft. It is supported by about 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies.

According to the report, car theft was big business in 2002 with an estimated $8.2 billion vehicles stolen in the United States.

To prevent thefts, the bureau recommends layers of protection to protect a vehicle.

The number of layers a vehicle needs depends on the type of vehicle and where a driver lives. Family budgets and personal preferences also determine which anti-theft devices are best, the report said.

The first layer is common sense. An unlocked vehicle with a key in the ignition is an open invitation to any thief. A 16-month-old boy was kidnapped when his mother left him in a car with the engine running while she checked to see if a store was open. The car, running with the air conditioner on, was discovered by an alert convenience store clerk about five hours later.

After removing keys from the ignition, a driver should lock all doors and windows and park in a well-lit area. According to Metro Police, 31 percent of Americans don't lock their cars.

The second level is a visible or audible device alerting thieves that the car is protected. Alarms, steering column collars, steering or brake locks, wheel locks, tire locks, theft deterrent decals, identification marks on the vehicle, window etching or laminated glass offers protection, the report said.

The third protective layer includes smart keys, fuse cut-offs, kill switches, starter, ignition or fuel disablers and devices designed with computer components that prevent a thief from starting the car.

Fourth are tracking devices that emit signals to a police or monitoring station when the vehicle is reported stolen. They help authorities recover stolen vehicles.

Metro and Henderson police are joining the voluntary National Watch Your Car program. Car owners display a decal and sign an agreement stating that the vehicle is not normally driven between the hours of 1 and 5 a.m. The owner may consent to have the car stopped if it's being driven between those hours.

Police also will continue their "bait car" program, which has been operating for several years. Insurance companies donated four bait cars to Metro and one to Henderson. The cars are equipped with global positioning systems, video cameras and motion sensors, parked on the streets and in parking lots in high-theft areas.