To CATch a Thief: Lawndale Starts Program to Reduce Stolen Vehicles

In an effort to deter auto theft, Lawndale residents are being asked to put special decals on their cars to allow police to pull over and inspect the vehicles during certain early morning hours.

Sponsored by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Automobile Assn. of Southern California, the voluntary Combat Auto Theft (CAT) program involves placing a yellow decal with the seal of the city on the rear window of cars and trucks. The sticker gives law enforcement officials permission to stop the vehicles between 1 and 5 a.m. to ask the driver for proof of ownership.

“The decal on the window tells the deputy that the owner does not use their car between 1 and 5 a.m., so if it’s on the road, it could be stolen,” said Sgt. Bervick Deculus of the Lennox sheriff’s substation.

City officials, members of Neighborhood Watch, and representatives from the Sheriff’s Department and the Auto Club kicked off the program Thursday at City Hall.

Special sign-ups for the program will be held Tuesday at the Prairie Avenue Community Center, 15331 Prairie Ave., at 12:45 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the city’s Neighborhood Watch Crime Prevention Unit, located at 14714 Burin Ave. Residents can also sign up any time at the Burin Avenue location.

To withdraw from the program, the car owner must remove the sticker and notify the sheriff’s station in writing.

The CAT program is patterned after a similar project started in New York six years ago.

In New York City, police said, one of every 15 cars is stolen each year. But for cars registered under the CAT program, the theft rate drops to one in 574.

Nancy McKee, Neighborhood Watch coordinator for Lawndale, said her group is excited about the new program.

“Although crime statistics for auto theft have decreased in 1990 and 1991, we are hoping this program will keep the statistics down,” McKee said. Forty people have already signed up, she said.

According to Sheriff’s Department statistics, there were 364 cars stolen in Lawndale in 1990 and 309 stolen in 1991. Neighboring Hawthorne began a CAT Program in February and 450 residents have enrolled.

In Hawthorne, 100 to 130 vehicles are reported stolen every month, said Sgt. Vince Schiavi of the Hawthorne Police Department.

Although the overall rate of auto thefts did not decrease after the CAT program was implemented, only one recovered stolen vehicle had a CAT sticker, and it was stolen during the day when the program is not in effect, Schiavi said.

“It is a worthwhile program,” Schiavi said. “If your car has a sticker and mine doesn’t, the thief will come to my car first. Any deterrent . . . will just reduce the chances of your car being stolen.”