HUNTINGTON PARK : Police to Sell Steering Wheel Locks at Cut Rate

After learning that Huntington Park ranks fourth in the nation for car theft in cities of similar size during 1993, police are sponsoring a program to sell steering wheel locks at a cut rate.

The city ranks first in the state for stolen cars. Huntington Park--once the car theft capital of the nation--fell behind Newark and Livingston, N.J., and Fresno among cities of comparable size, according to statistics compiled by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, said Huntington Park Senior Officer Ramon Martin.

Winner International, makers of the Club, an auto security device, will offer the lock to hundreds of Huntington Park residents for $29.95 Friday through March 26, a police spokesman said. Truck locks will be sold for $34. The devices usually sell for $59.95, a company spokeswoman said.

Winner International will set up shop daily at two spots in the city’s business district: Florence and Salt Lake avenues and Pacific Boulevard and Clarendon Avenue, Martin said. Police are sponsoring the sales as part of the city’s El Protector project, a program that promotes car safety to schools and community groups.