Long Beach : 46 Extra Recoveries Made by New Auto Theft Detail
To combat auto thefts, the Long Beach Police Department started a trial program that helped them recover an additional 46 vehicles last month.
Officers on the graveyard shift worked from lists of stolen vehicles and potential suspects to recover the 46 automobiles worth $222,800, arrest 59 suspects and issue 31 citations, according to Sgt. Keith Kilmer.
In addition to the cars recovered through the new program, police recovered other vehicles but could not provide the total number either stolen or recovered last month.
In March, police reported 567 vehicles stolen and 320 recovered. In February, there were 498 vehicle thefts and 322 were recovered, and in January, there were 632 stolen and 428 recovered, Kilmer said.
Last year, there were 7,083 vehicles, worth $33 million, stolen in Long Beach.
“It’s on the increase everywhere. It’s a serious problem and it’s getting worse,” said Detective Jim Olds, who works in the auto theft detail.
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