 In
calendar year 1993, California led the nation with 313,804 vehicle
thefts,
or 21% of the national total. Southern California accounted
for more
than 62% of the state's total. Orange County accounted for
10.4%
of the 62%, or 20,145 vehicles stolen. The loss to Orange
County
victims and insurance companies was over $100,000,000.00.
In calendar
year 2019, 274 vehicles were
successfully recovered by OCATT personnel worth an estimated
$4,800,000. The average value of the vehicles they recovered
was
$17,529. OCATT detectives made 120 physical arrests of
vehicle
theft suspects during 2019. Additionally, OCATT detectives
initiated 343 criminal investigations, conducted 42 business
inspections
and inspected over 1,160 vehicles. OCATT detectives assisted
allied agency personnel make an additional 40 arrests during the same
time period.
In June
2019, the Orange County Auto Theft TaskForce
(OCATT) completed its twenty-sixth year of operation, combating the
incidence
of auto theft by professional criminals in Orange County and throughout
the southern California region.
During the
26+ year period June 1993 -
December 2019, OCATT investigators arrested 1,558 suspects involved in
the theft, renumbering or otherwise disguising, and sale of stolen
motor vehicles. Investigators also recovered over 6,407 motor vehicles
with a value of approximately $101.63 million.
The mode of
thefts of automobiles has also changed
during the past twenty-five years. In 1993, when the Task
Force
began, it was common for the professional auto thief to be a one or two
man operation. The same suspects would steal the vehicle(s),
change
the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and arrange for the vehicles’
disposition.
Often times, OCATT investigators would break up a 20-car ring and only
arrest a couple of individuals. Today, as in society,
everyone is
a specialist. In the auto theft world, now one or a crew of
individuals
steal the automobile, others renumber it, others arrange false
paperwork,
and still someone else arranges the sale of the stolen vehicle to
innocent
purchasers. Theft by fraud and insurance fraud has also
become more
prevalent in recent years.
The
advancements in technology over the past twenty-six
years have not gone unnoticed by the professional auto thief.
Today,
auto thieves are using the Internet and other computer sources to
create
false identities or obtain information on real citizens and commit
identity
theft. These innocent parties’ identities are used to
purchase new
vehicles, rent vehicles and register stolen vehicles.
The Orange
County District Attorney’s Office provides
one dedicated full-time Deputy District Attorney who is assigned to the
task force. The attorney is committed to aggressively
prosecuting
the professional vehicle thief and those who commit insurance fraud
that
the task force has targeted. The use of “straight lined,”
“vertical”
prosecution has proven highly successful.
As the
professional criminals’ tools and modus operandi
change, OCATT continues to change and develop new tools and training to
pursue and apprehend the professional auto theft criminal.
Orange County Auto Thefts
Calendar Years 1993 - 2019
|
Year
|
Orange County
Population
|
Licensed Drivers
in Orange
County
|
Vehicle Registrations
in Orange
County
|
Vehicle Thefts
in Orange
County
|
Increase /
Decrease
in Thefts
|
| 1993 |
2,576,000 |
1,803,300 |
1,890,556 |
20,145 |
1234 |
| 1994 |
2,615,300 |
1,800,500 |
1,876,575 |
19,196 |
- 4.7% |
| 1995 |
2,614,800 |
1,701,400 |
1,914,625 |
16,788 |
-
12.5% |
|
1996
|
2,649,800
|
1,810,600
|
1,957,200
|
13,822
|
- 17.6%
|
|
1997
|
2,705,300
|
1,828,300
|
1,881,148
|
12,137
|
- 12.6%
|
|
1998
|
2,763,900
|
1,854,000
|
2,015,296
|
10,884
|
- 10.3%
|
|
1999
|
2,813,700
|
1,877,651
|
2,051,569
|
9,673
|
- 11.1%
|
|
2000
|
2,893,100
|
1,905,170
|
2,125,552
|
9,847
|
+ 1.8%
|
|
2001
|
2,925,200
|
1,945,258
|
2,178,313
|
11,139
|
+ 13.1%
|
|
2002
|
2,939,500
|
1,988,664
|
2,247,656
|
10,842
|
- 2.7%
|
| 2003 |
2,978,800 |
1,987,180
|
2,238,415
|
11,256
|
+ 3.8%
|
|
2004
|
3,017,300
|
1,981,373
|
2,523,852
|
12,508
|
+11.1%
|
|
2005
|
3,056,865
|
1,983,385
|
2,504,202
|
13,360
|
+6.5%
|
| 2006 |
3,071,924 |
1,998,855 |
2,545,849 |
10,987 |
-17.8%
|
|
2007
|
3,098,121
|
2,024,425
|
2,541,604
|
9,501
|
-13.5%
|
|
2008
|
3,107,500
|
2,025,409
|
2,526,427
|
7,633
|
-19.6%
|
|
2009
|
3,090,688
|
2,023,150
|
2,509,262
|
6,442
|
-15.6%
|
|
2010
|
3,010,232
|
2,034,001
|
2,520,474
|
6,356
|
-1.3%
|
|
2011
|
3,055,745
|
2,050,085
|
2,519,055
|
6,344
|
-0.2%
|
|
2012
|
3,090,132
|
2,081,856
|
2,539,664
|
7,494
|
+18.1%
|
|
2013
|
3,114,363
|
2,114,849
|
2,617,320
|
7,639
|
+1.9%
|
|
2014
|
3,145,515
|
2,145,701
|
2,715,617
|
6,624
|
-13.3%
|
|
2015
|
3,169,776
|
2,223,795
|
2,831,850
|
9,148
|
+38.1%
|
|
2016
|
3,194,024
|
2,274,825
|
2,901,123
|
8,752
|
-4.3%
|
|
2017
|
3,221,103
|
2,314,558
|
2,885,494
|
8,882
|
+1.5%
|
|
2018
|
3,222,498
|
2,330,088
|
2,915,468
|
7,866
|
-11.4%
|
|
2019
|
3,194,332
|
2,344,679
|
2,943,942
|
7,087
|
-9.9%
|
Above
Statistics based on California Highway Patrol
VTIS Reports, DMV Information, and California Department of Finance
TOP
TEN CARS STOLEN IN ORANGE COUNTY IN 2019
TOP
TEN CARS STOLEN IN CALIFORNIA IN 2019
TOP
TEN CARS STOLEN IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2018
|
