SANTA ANA : Anti-Auto Theft Service Offered

A new service designed to deter auto theft will be offered today in the parking lot of Rancho Santiago College.

The program, called Safeguard, involves permanently etching a car’s vehicle identification number into every window of the auto.

This number, which is used by police to track down a car when it is stolen, can’t be taken off by thieves unless all of the windows in the car are removed --a process that could cost as much as $3,000, said Gary Labb, an investigator with the Santa Ana Police Department.

“Auto theft is probably the fastest rising crime in the state and in the nation,” Labb said. “Safeguard serves as a visual deterrent to this problem. If thieves see that this has been done to a car, they will probably think twice about stealing it.”

In addition to the etchings, the Safeguard system also involves placing a car’s vehicle identification number into a nationwide computer system used by police and other agencies, Labb said.

Safelite Auto Glass of Garden Grove will etch the numbers onto the windows. The business is sponsoring the program along with the Orange County Regional Vehicle Theft Committee, a group made up of local auto theft investigators.

Safelite will charge $20 for the work instead of the usual fee of $100 per car. Half of the money raised will be donated to the Orangewood Children’s Home in Orange.

Today’s session lasts from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Parking Lot 7 at the college at Bristol Street and Washington Avenue.

Another session will be offered from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the Park Place Building parking lot at the San Diego Freeway and Jamboree Road in Irvine.