Driven out of No. 1

Modesto now ranks fifth in statistics of car thefts, leaves top spot to Vegas

By CHRIS TOGNERI
ctogneri@modbee.com

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Finally, some progress. For the first time in three years, Stanislaus County is not the car theft capital of the country, according to statistics released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

That distinction belongs to Las Vegas.

The NICB, an Illinois-based nonprofit agency, compiles theft rates by pitting the number of stolen vehicles in an area against population, thereby creating a rate of vehicle thefts per 100,000 residents.

For 2006, Las Vegas had the highest rate — with 1,312 thefts per 100,000 residents — followed by Stockton, the Porterville-Visalia area and Phoenix.

The Modesto area — encompassing all of Stanislaus County — dropped to No. 5 with 1,006 thefts per 100,000 residents.

NICB spokesman Frank Scafidi applauded the Modesto area's "dramatic improvement," adding that local efforts should set an example for neighboring communities struggling with high theft rates.

Five of the top 10 areas on the NICB list are in the Central Valley; Sacra-mento finished seventh and Fresno eighth.

The State College area in Pennsylvania had the lowest theft rate in the country with 42 thefts per 100,000 residents.

The NICB plans to release the 2006 rankings today at a news conference at the Modesto Police Department. The Bee obtained a copy of the rankings.

Despite the drop, not all local law enforcement officials are pleased.

"Nobody should breathe a sigh of relief," Modesto Police Chief Roy Wasden said. "We're still way too high. I'm happy we're not No. 1, but with all that effort and a 32percent reduction in the city, I wanted to be out of the top 10."

Last year, when Modesto had the highest auto theft rate in the country for the third year in a row, Wasden said he took the news "like a punch to the stomach."

This year, he compared the No. 5 ranking to "a slap upside the head. … We still have way too many auto thefts. It's unacceptable."

There were 5,083 auto thefts countywide last year, according to NICB rankings, a 28percent drop from the 7,071 thefts in 2005. Wasden said the numbers continue to drop this year, with an 8percent decrease in Modesto.

Officials credited the reductions to a committed multiagency plan of attack.

Aggressive bait car campaigns, increased public awareness, stiffer jail sentences and increased bail amounts for first-time offenders — from $10,000 to $40,000 — all helped lower the numbers, officials said.

NICB and local law enforcement officials also praised The Bee for drawing attention to the problem in a four-day series in November 2005. And for a year, The Bee has published the photos of every adult car theft suspect arrested.

Law enforcement officials promised not to let up.

Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Morris, commander of the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force, said his officers took a $60,000 grant from the district attorney's office last year and invested it in more bait cars. That means police here no longer will have to borrow bait cars from California Highway Patrol headquarters in Sacramento.

Morris said it costs about $15,000 to equip a bait car with global positioning satellite equipment and additional technology. He would not say how many bait cars are permanently in Stanislaus County — "A fleet of more than one and less than 100," he said — but confirmed they are here to stay.

Officials also promised to target what they believe is the underlying cause of auto theft: methamphetamine abuse.

"Given the meth epidemic we have here, I'm not surprised we're still in the top 10," Sheriff Adam Christianson said. "In every property crime we investigate, there's always a meth element."

Wasden agreed, noting that even as auto theft rates continue to drop, other crimes, such as recyclable metal thefts, soar.

"It's like you squeeze the balloon here, and it expands over there," Wasden said. "We must deal with (methamphetamine) addiction. Ultimately, if we get people into treatment and get them drug free, that will affect property crime."

Bee staff writer Chris Togneri can be reached at ctogneri@modbee. com or 578-2324.