We're No. 1! Modesto back on top of auto theft rankings

We’re back on top.

Modesto and the rest of Stanislaus County had the highest auto theft rate in the nation in 2015, according to a report released Monday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The Modesto Metropolitan Area – which encompasses Stanislaus County and all of its cities – had 4,072 vehicle thefts last year, for a rate of 756 thefts per 100,000 residents. The area ranked fifth in 2014 and third in 2013, though it has been ranked first seven times since 2004, which includes the most current ranking.

Modesto was not the only San Joaquin Valley metro area to make the top 10. Bakersfield (No. 3, with 680 thefts per 100,000 residents), Stockton-Lodi (No. 6, with 641 thefts per 100,000 residents) and Merced (No. 8, with 598 thefts per 100,000 residents) made the list. Eight California metro areas made the top 10, including the Salinas, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward and Vallejo-Fairfield metro areas.

Modesto police Chief Galen Carroll in an email called the report disappointing and pointed to Proposition 47 – which was passed by California voters in November 2014 and reduced many crimes to misdemeanors – as the culprit.

“I hate to blame Proposition 47, but eight of 10 are in California,” Carroll wrote. “We began to see a spike in auto theft the month after it passed, which was a sharp turnaround from our downward trend in auto thefts, where we got to No. 5.”

The NICB uses law enforcement and U.S. census data to compile its annual Hot Spots report. The Des Plaines, Ill.-based NICB is a nonprofit organization funded by insurers.

The NICB said in a news release that vehicle thefts are down dramatically across the United States over the past several years. For instance, auto thefts peaked in the Modesto Metropolitan Area in 2005 with 7,071 thefts, which is nearly double of the number of thefts from 2015.

The NICB recommended drivers take precautions, including not leaving their keys in the ignition, parking in well-lit areas, and using car alarms, steering wheel locks and similar devices to block thieves.

Carroll echoed that advice.

“It is also interesting to point (out) that at least for the last, decade the majority of the most stolen vehicles are Honda products,” he said. “And although people buy them because they are reliable, they are also the most reliable stolen car in America. I would encourage all owners, but most importantly owners of those vehicles, to use clubs and kill switches to protect themselves.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 6:50 PM with the headline "We're No. 1! Modesto back on top of auto theft rankings."