More car thieves appear to be settling down in the Puget Sound region.
The Seattle metropolitan area had the sixth-highest rate of vehicle theft in the country last year, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The Seattle area was ranked 10th in 2004.
The West Coast is home to eight of the report’s worst-rated cities.
Topping the list is Modesto, Calif., followed by Las Vegas at No. 2, and Stockton, Calif. at No. 3. The Phoenix metropolitan area was ranked fourth, and Visalia, Calif., was fifth.
The California cities of Sacramento, San Diego and Fresno were ranked seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively. Yakima was ranked 10th in the nation.
Vehicle theft in Snohomish County is still on the rise.
In Everett, there were 1,712 vehicles reported stolen last year between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1, up from 1,454 vehicles stolen during the same time period in 2004. Meanwhile, the number of cars stolen in Edmonds jumped from 146 in 2003 to 260 last year – a 78 percent increase.
Despite the local problem, the nationwide rate of vehicle theft appears to have declined for the second straight year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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