New Task Force Is Launched in Drive to Fight Rising Auto Theft : Crime: More than 21,000 cars were stolen in the county last year, a figure that has increased about 17% in the last 5 years.

Troy Visintainer scanned the parking lot and got a sick feeling.

His 1987 red Toyota pickup truck, the one he locked up and parked near the front door of an auto parts shop, was gone. Stolen.

“It was right in front of my work. . . . I heard nothing,” recalled the 23-year-old assistant manager at Trak Auto in Costa Mesa. “There was no broken glass, no tire squeal. . . . If it’s not found now,” he lamented a few days after the theft, “I figure it’s gone or stripped.”

Police agree.

Motor vehicle theft countywide has risen steadily, increasing about 17% in the last five years, according to the most recent state Department of Justice statistics. Last year, more than 21,000 cars, trucks and motorcycles were stolen from Seal Beach to Brea to San Clemente. Police located 68% of the stolen vehicles, but that figure includes recoveries where just a few parts or the frame remained intact.

To fight back, Orange County authorities today will launch a task force, made up of 16 officers and a full-time prosecutor, to target organized car-theft rings and professional car thieves.

“Auto theft sometimes does not get the priority that some crimes like home invasions and armed robberies get,” said Loren DuChesne, a task force organizer and the investigations chief for the district attorney’s office. “As a matter of practicality, homicide and robbery and serious assaults, in a time when resources are scarce, are getting a lot of attention. The task force is to help fill that void.”

With a $2-million budget from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the task force will begin compiling a database on local auto thieves. Investigators might then begin lengthy stakeouts and undercover surveillance of people and businesses suspected of moving stolen cars or parts.

Investigators might also use a car to bait thieves or try to penetrate a suspected theft ring to get closer to the operation’s central figures.

The investigator’s methods will “only be limited by one’s imagination,” said Garden Grove Sgt. Patrick Thrasher, a task force member. “So anything you can think of to solve our goal, we are going to be using.”

The investigators will come from cities with the highest number of auto theft cases, including Anaheim, Buena Park, Garden Grove and Santa Ana.

Los Angeles and Riverside counties are currently planning similar auto theft task forces. San Diego County has had one for the past year. Motor vehicle thefts in that county fell about 2% compared to the previous year since the 27-member task force began operating, said coordinator and FBI Special Agent Daniel Ryan.

DuChesne said that the Orange County task force will try to derail car theft rings in an effort to make it harder to sell and transport parts and cars.

Police say the unit has a major task ahead.

Investigators today scramble to keep up with the mounting theft cases--about 58 reports per day at an average loss of $5,500 each, officials said. Orange County now ranks behind Los Angeles and San Diego counties for the total number of stolen vehicle cases each year. Car theft is on the increase statewide.

“There is a market everywhere” for stolen parts and cars, Thrasher said. “The market is just lucrative everywhere.” Some car owners will buy stolen parts because they are cheaper, police said.

Thieves, who usually strike under cover of night, know they run a low risk of getting caught and are usually motivated by profit, police said.

A car thief can make $1,000 for stealing an expensive car such as a Cadillac, authorities said. Someone else who strips that $19,000 car might make twice that amount after selling its parts.

Thieves strip thousands of cars in Orange County and sell parts locally. Some use vehicles in other crimes. Still others ship entire vehicles out of the country, police said. A car stolen anywhere in the county might end up in Mexico or overseas, police said.

Some cars, particularly newer models, are “surgically stripped” for parts. In those cases, thieves will hold onto the parts they remove from a vehicle and then dump the frame on a street or highway in the hope that the police recover it. The insurance company then pays off the owner for the loss and might sell the frame to recoup some of its loss, said Sgt. Benny Price, the vehicle theft supervisor for several Southern California counties, including Orange County. The same thief who stole the car will then buy the frame, reassemble the car and sell it for a profit, Price said.

Some theft is much less sophisticated, police said.

Some plain-looking cars, like the 1981 Buick Regal and 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass--both popular theft targets in the county--are stolen and then used in drive-by shootings or other crimes before being dumped, police said.

Thieves might break into a car and drive it for “something as simple as a beer run or being on the other side of town and they don’t know how to get home,” said Anaheim Police Sgt. Kahle Switzer, who had one of his cars stolen from outside his home a few years ago. Police recovered it four days later partially stripped along a highway.

Car theft has spawned several devices and techniques that drivers can use to help guard against their vehicle getting swiped, or improve the chances of getting it back if it is stolen.

For those willing to spend about $400, some high-technology tracking devices, such as Teletrac, help police locate a stolen car. The theft of a car triggers a digital signal, which is sent to Teletrac offices in Inglewood. Teletrac then reports the theft to local police and helps guide them in a pursuit or may hand the chase over to them completely.

Conventional car alarms can range in price from about $100 to $500, some of which will shut off the engine and cause headlights to flash if a car is stolen.

Steering wheel locks, customized steel bars that make steering impossible, are also popular in the county, police said.

Several county cities have stepped in to try to deter auto thieves with the Combat Auto Theft program. Participants in cities like Mission Viejo, La Habra and Anaheim place a sticker on their car that gives police probable cause to pull the car over if it is on the road during early morning hours, when most thefts occur.

But car thieves will do almost anything to make off with a particular vehicle, police said.

“If they want the car bad enough, they will use a tow truck to come and get it,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Angel Johnson.

While thieves make money on cars, the cost of insuring those cars affects even those who are not victimized because the cost of reimbursement is spread out among all policyholders.

For drivers covered by the Automobile Club of Southern California, one of the largest in the state, about 5% of premium payments go toward covering auto theft, a spokesman said. He would not disclose how much the company pays out annually to cover stolen vehicles.

Wheel Woes Last year, Orange County police reported more than 21,000 vehicles stolen--mostly cars and trucks. That’s more than one every 30 minutes each day. Vehicles Stolen From 1988 to 1992, vehicle thefts increased 17%. The number per 1,000 registrations also rose consistently. The 5,525 cases during the first three months of 1993 put this year on a pace to exceed 1992. Number of thefts per 1,000 vehicles ‘88, 18,009: 9.1 ‘89, 19,813: 9.9 ‘90, 20,626: 10.1 ‘91, 20,994: 10.5 ‘92, 21,124: 10.6 Recovery Rate While thefts have continued to climb, the number of vehicles recovered has fallen, as has the percentage of recoveries compared to the total stolen. Percentage of recoveries compared to number of vehicles stolen ‘88, 14,099: 78% ‘89, 14,725: 74% ‘90, 15,106: 73% ‘91, 14,507: 69% ‘92, 14,402: 68% Arresting Trend As thievery has increased, so has police activity. Between 1988 and 1992, arrests for vehicle theft expanded 35%, about twice the percentage increase in vehicles stolen during the same period. Also, the percentage of arrests compared to total thefts reached a five-year high last year. Percentage of arrests compared to number of vehicles stolen ‘88, 1,478: 8.2% ‘89, 1,503: 7.6% ‘90, 1,857: 9.0% ‘91, 1,756: 8.4% ‘92, 1,995: 9.4% Favorite Among Thieves Cars and personal trucks make up the vast majority of stolen vehicles. Mid-sized American models were the most popular style among thieves; Toyota the top target of those heisting personal pickups. The picture from January through March: What Thieves Target Automobiles: 65% Personal trucks: 29% Motorcycles: 3% Trailers: 2% Other*: 1% * Includes commercial trucks and recreational vehicles Top Car Targets 1. 1981 Buick Regal 2. 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass 3. 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4. 1986 Chevrolet Camaro 5. 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass 6. 1982 Chevrolet Camaro 7. 1991 Honda Accord 8. 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass 9. 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 10.1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Big Three A majority of vehicle theft in California last year took place in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties. Among the three counties, Orange had the lowest rate of theft per 1,000 vehicles registered. For January-March: Vehicle Theft in California Los Angeles County: 42% San Diego County: 11% Orange County: 6% All others: 41% Theft Rate (per 1,000 vehicles) Los Angeles County: 21.3 San Diego County: 17.4 Orange County: 10.6 Preventing Theft Here are some ways to foil thieves. ALWAYS: * Lock car and take keys. * Curb wheels and set emergency brake when parking, even on level ground. * Park in a garage when available. NEVER: * Leave keys with a parking attendant; have attendant park the car and return keys. * Leave items containing your name or address visible in your car. * Hide a spare ignition key in the vehicle. * Leave valuables visible inside, including stereo systems. IN ADDITION: * Install a secondary ignition shut-off switch. * Replace ignition if you buy a used car. * Park in well-lighted areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. * Install anti-theft device that disables electrical and fuel systems. * Have your vehicle serviced only by reputable businesses. * Be wary of high-theft vehicles. Sources: California Highway Patrol, Department of Motor Vehicles, State Department of Justice; Researched by ERIC YOUNG / Los Angeles Times