The rate of vehicular thefts in Columbia appears to be decreasing, according to data from the Columbia Police Department.
CPD records show that 135 cars were stolen inside the city during 2010. That number is lower than in 2006, when 227 vehicles were reported stolen.
CPD Lt. Ken Gregory credits the decrease in vehicular thefts to the 2007 implementation of the bait car program. CPD uses bait cars to lure potential car thieves to them. The cars are in constant use around Columbia.
Gregory said the cars are left in high-traffic areas known for high crime rates, and once a car is broken into, officers can turn it off remotely and arrest the suspect in question. He said another media campaign promoting the vehicles’ use is in the works.
“That is probably one of the few things that is accurately portrayed on TV,” Gregory said.
According to a news release from the Missouri Insurance Information Service, 15,640 vehicles were reported stolen across the state in 2010. The Ford Taurus topped the list of most frequently stolen cars, followed by the Dodge Intrepid and the Pontiac Grand Prix.
“Though the number of auto thefts was down from 2009, the crime of auto theft still continues to be a big business, and Missouri motorists are paying for it,” MIIS Government Affairs Director Brent Butler stated in the release.
Butler suggested some tips to help reduce an individual’s risk of auto theft. These include locking cars and windows, keeping valuables out of sight, parking in well-lit areas and using alarm systems.
Car thefts do not appear to be a major problem on MU’s campus. MU Police Department Capt. Brian Weimer said only one vehicle was stolen on campus in 2010. This low number is typical, Weimer said.
The incident occurred May 15 and the vehicle was recovered the following day. The vehicle did not belong to an MU student. It was stolen from an employee of Coastal Electric, Inc., who had parked in the AV 14 parking lot.
“Most of the reports that we get, people simply forgot where they parked,” Weimer said.
Weimer said the investigation is treated like any other stolen property investigation, with the appendage that the vehicle’s information, including license plate number, is reported to other law enforcement agencies, increasing the scope of the department’s investigation.
Gregory said when a vehicle is stolen, CPD places its license plate and information into a national database so that it can be tracked anywhere. He said certain cars are more desirable to steal than others.
“If you’re at a convenience store, and you run in for 10 minutes and leave the keys in your car and find it’s gone when you get back, there’s a pretty good chance it’s a crime of opportunity,” Gregory said.
He said it is often the case in crimes like this that the suspect takes the car for a joy ride and then abandons it in a nearby location. Patrol officers recover most of these vehicles after the car is reported stolen.
“That car is readily identifiable, and it’s not like taking somebody’s iPod,” Gregory said. “You’re not going to be able to hide it.”
He said it is also not uncommon for someone to report their car stolen and then see it being driven around town the next day. However, the amount of time it takes to recover a vehicle varies.
“Sometimes it takes minutes,” Gregory said. “Sometimes it takes a number of months, depending on where the suspect goes with the vehicle.”