Report shows 18 percent increase in county
Gilroy – In South County, privacy has a price. Open space is good for gardeners and farmers, but even better for car thieves who can dump stolen vehicles or snag one with little chance of being noticed by authorities or neighbors.
The Department of Justice’s preliminary 2005 crime report suggests motor vehicle theft increased 3.5 percent statewide compared to 2004. But closer examination reveals that the two reporting police departments closest to South County experienced some of the largest jumps statewide. Both Salinas and San Jose police departments ranked in the top 10 for increase in stolen autos. A separate 2005 report from the California Highway Patrol showed auto thefts increased 18 percent last year in Santa Clara County alone.
But thieves don’t stop at county lines.
“It’s all over the place,” said Deputy Serg Palanov of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. “There’s so much farm land in South County that people just park them and leave. A lot of times they are stolen just for transportation – not necessarily for stripping. Most of the cars that we’re losing are not being take for the value of the vehicle.”
According to the 2005 California Highway Patrol Vehicle Theft report, 89.3 percent of stolen autos were recovered – but just 60 percent were found intact and in a driveable condition. Major components were missing from 4.5 percent, minor parts were stripped from 13 percent, and 22.5 percent of stolen vehicles were intentionally burned or wrecked.
“It’s a crime of opportunity,” Palanov said. “(Thieves) do scour the neighborhoods.”
During the winter months auto thefts typically increase because people start their vehicles, then go back inside as it warms up with the keys in the ignition. They return to find their ride to work left without them.
The most common vehicles stolen statewide are various models of Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords. Five of top 10 are Camrys, and 4 are Accords.
According to police, they have a high resale value and the streets are packed with an abundance of cars consumers demand. These models also have interchangeable parts and locking mechanisms thieves have learned how to override.
When driving the stretch of U.S. 101 from Gilroy to San Jose one will typically notice a few vehicles pulled over along the embankments. CHP officers must determine whether they were stolen and abandoned or whether the driver was simply having car trouble.
“We stop for every car we see stopped on the side of the road,” CHP Officer Chris Armstrong said.
Officers run the plates to determine if it has been reported stolen. If it comes back clean, they place a tag for the owner notifying them that they have four hours to move it. Officers will then tow the vehicle and enter it into the computer system should it end up reported stolen, he said.
Many times when deputies discover stolen vehicles that have been dumped in South County they are not being sold for profit or stripped for parts.
“As far as finding a car totally stripped including the wheels, it’s rare,” Palanov said.
Local law enforcement agencies are finding that many stolen vehicles in South County are typically joyriders, either stealing for the thrill or just looking for a ride.
But that doesn’t mean South County residents are safe from those looking to make a buck.
“There are body shops out there that will order (auto) body parts knowing full well that the parts might not be from a legitimate source,” Palanov said.
