FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Police Unveil ID Plan to Deter Car Thieves
Auto thefts are on the rise in Fountain Valley, and the Police Department wants to stop them with a new, voluntary vehicle identification program.
“We decided we had to develop something to lessen the auto theft,” Police Chief Elvin Miali said in June after statistics showed an alarming increase in car thefts.
By December, Miali plans to start a program to distribute free stickers to residents who would voluntarily place them in the left rear area of their cars. The stickers would indicate that the vehicle owner will allow police to stop those driving the vehicle between 1 and 5 a.m.
In 1990, 385 vehicles were reported stolen in Fountain Valley, compared to 359 in 1991, police said. This year, 322 cars were stolen from January to September. In June alone, thieves took 57 cars--the highest monthly total in four years.
But under the new Combat Auto Theft (CAT) program, drivers with the car stickers may get pulled over and questioned by police if they’re out driving during pre-dawn hours, Miali said.
“We’re hoping that it’s going to make it more difficult for the car thief to take that car because they know they’re going to get stopped,” Miali said.
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