When it comes to car theft, the bad guys are winning. It’s time to fight back.
Rep. John Lovick of Mill Creek, a former State Patrol trooper, will deliver the first blow next week when he introduces a comprehensive bill in Olympia that would lock car thieves away faster and longer, and throw other obstacles in their way.
The rate of auto theft has skyrocketed in Washington, particularly in the Puget Sound region. Take Lynnwood as an example, where thieves took off with 50 percent more cars in 2005 than in 2004. For the first nine months of 2006, the rate in Lynnwood was up another 30 percent, according to police statistics.
And in many cases, these aren’t hardened criminals, though they may be headed in that direction. Often, they’re unscrupulous juveniles and young adults essentially using stolen cars as alternative transportation. In a typical case, thieves will swipe a car from a parking lot at one mall, then dump it at another. They might also steal some of the contents – identification, money, a stereo – but they leave the vehicle virtually intact. That general scenario describes at least 90 percent of car thefts in Lynnwood, police report.
“It’s not just Lynnwood, but all of our communities have had an increase in auto theft,” Lynnwood Deputy Police Chief Karen Manser said. “It’s a product of weak state penalties.”
Lovick’s bill, which has a bipartisan list of 28 co-sponsors, would change that by making it easier for prosecutors to prove first-degree theft against car thieves, and by sending repeat offenders to prison much more quickly. Currently, a car thief could be convicted up to six times before doing any time in the state pen. The bad guys have figured that out, which is why car theft is up while rates of other crimes are down.
Organized car-theft rings are also thriving, according to Lovick, fueling other crimes and gang activity. His bill would also outlaw the possession of certain car-theft tools, and launch a voluntary program that allows police to stop and check your vehicle if you typically don’t drive in the middle of the night, when most car thefts occur.
Citizens, of course, also have a responsibility to protect themselves from auto theft. Police shake their heads at the number of thefts where the victim left the keys in the car, or even left the motor running while the car was unattended. Parked cars should always be locked, with windows closed and valuables tucked out of sight.
Still, the bad guys deserve a punishment that fits their crime. Currently, they’re not getting it.
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