Monrovia : Auto Theft Program Begins
The Police Department has become the first in the San Gabriel Valley to fight auto theft by distributing rear-window decals that will alert officers to pull the car over during late-night hours. The voluntary program, dubbed MAD-CAT for Monrovia Auto-Theft Detail/Combat Auto Theft, is available free, Police Chief Joe Santoro said.
To participate, residents must sign a waiver indicating that their car is not normally driven during the peak auto-theft hours of 1-5 a.m. In addition, they must agree to permit police to stop the vehicle without probable cause if it is spotted on the road during that time.
Officers hope that the decals will help reduce car thefts in Monrovia, where 255 vehicles were stolen in 1988--an 18% increase over 1987. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol and police in San Diego, Escondido, Redlands and San Bernardino have adopted or are in the process of adopting similar programs, Monrovia Detective Rich Lukofnak said.
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