Lasley & Guskos, Criminal Investigation: An Illustrated
Case Study Approach 1ed
Chapter 15
VEHICLE THEFT SCENES
Class Name,
Instructor Name
Date, Semester
© 2014 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Describe the crime of motor vehicle theft and how motor vehicle
theft investigations are conducted
Be familiar with the various reasons for committing vehicle theft
Know the methods of vehicle break-ins and thefts
Know common types of vehicle fraud and how they are carried
out
© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes
Describe the crime of motor vehicle
theft and how motor vehicle theft
investigations are conducted
Investigations
4
Grand Theft Auto Defined
Individuals who remove, steal, or
drive a vehicle without first obtaining
the owner’s permission have
committed motor vehicle theft.
State Laws Regarding Stolen Vehicles
1. Vehicle Chop Shop and Altered Property Laws: prohibit
the operation of a chop shop or other facility that
engages in the dismantling of stolen vehicles or the
alteration of stolen vehicles or their parts.
2. Salvage Certificate Fraud Laws: prohibit junk yards,
salvagers, or other vehicle recyclers from creating fake or
fraudulent titles on vehicles declared a “total loss” by
insurance companies—which are often later used by
thieves who sell stolen cars or misrepresent junked vehicles
as undamaged vehicles.
3. Vehicle Owner Fraud Laws: prohibit vehicle owners from
filing false theft reports or engaging in other activities
classified as insurance fraud to obtain monetary
settlements for vehicles they cannot sell or otherwise
cannot afford.
6
Chop Shop
7
Federal Laws Regarding Stolen Vehicles
8
1.
Making it a federal offense to carjack a vehicle; to own, operate, maintain, or control
a chop shop; to alter or remove motor vehicle identification numbers; to deal in
stolen marked parts; to conduct interstate trafficking of stolen vehicles and parts
(made illegal under federal RICO racketeering statutes); and to counterfeit or forge
motor vehicle title certificates
2.
Requiring state DMVs to check VINs of out-of-state cars before issuing titles to new
owners, and requiring auto recyclers and repair shops that sell or install used parts to
check VINS against the FBI’s stolen-car database
3.
Requiring manufacturers of certain high-theft passenger cars to put the identification
numbers (i.e., VIN numbers) on the engine, the transmission, and 12 major body parts
4.
Allowing for the seizure and forfeiture of vehicles or components with falsified or
removed identification numbers
5.
Requiring that exporters of used motor vehicles submit a proof of ownership
containing the vehicle’s identification number to the customs and border officials
before exporting the vehicle
6.
Upgrading state motor-vehicle department databases containing title information,
enabling federal and state law enforcement officials to rapidly determine whether a
motor vehicle is stolen
7.
Providing immunity for persons furnishing knowledge to police about auto theft law
violators
Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes
Be familiar with the various reasons for
committing vehicle theft
Reasons for Vehicle Theft
Joyriding
10
Short-term
Transportation
Long-term
Transportation
Joyriding
11
Reasons for Vehicle Theft
Profit
12
Insurance
Fraud
Committing
a Crime
Trade for
Drugs
Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes
Know the methods of vehicle breakins and thefts
Vehicle Break-in Methods
Ninja Rocks- throws porcelain spark plugs
into drivers side window to gain access
Bricking or Stoning- throw into the window to
gain access
Slim Jims
Door Wedging- flat edge tools to assist in
gaining access are used
14
Vehicle Break-in Methods
Master Keying—using a master key from
someone such as a locksmith
Lock Punching
Code Grabbing— obtained by the remote
keyless entry
Key Theft
15
Vehicle theft depends on this:
Type of vehicle
Age of vehicle
Offenders knowledge, experience, and expertise in defeating
vehicle security systems
16
Vehicle Theft Methods
Ignition punching
Hot wiring
Keys stolen in a
burglary
Keys stolen in a
robbery
Keys left in vehicle
Key cloning
Taken without consent
Identity theft, fraud,
forgery
Towing
17
Professional Vehicle Theft
Chopping for parts and
scrap metal
Strip and run
VIN switching
Salvage switching
Counterfeit VIN
Body switching
Vehicle exporting
18
Vehicle Theft Ring Characteristics
• Concentrate high-frequency theft in specific locations
• An organized group structure, with identifiable leadership
• Have a group size of 10 members or less
• Rarely use force to acquire a vehicle
• Target newer model cars
• Target cars with valuables in them
• Steal cars at all times of the day
• Have a centralized chop shop location
• Target cars with unique features/options
• Recruit males under the age of 30 years, of various racial
backgrounds
19
Proven investigative techniques for auto
theft rings
Car
Buy/Traffic
Stops
Parking
Lot/Structure
Surveillance
Controlled
Buys of Parts
Undercover
House
Bait Cars
20
Controlling the buying and selling of
parts
21
Carjacking
•
It usually takes no more than 15 seconds for a carjacking suspect to overpower a
victim and take possession of a stolen auto.
•
If a weapon is used, it will be a handgun 90 percent of the time. Knives are the
second weapon of choice of carjackers.
•
Most carjacking incidents take place approximately 5 miles from the victim’s
home.
•
The most popular location for a carjacking is a parking lot, followed by city
streets, residential driveways, car dealerships, and gas stations. Persons stopped
in traffic or exiting their vehicles also are likely targets.
•
Most victims of a carjacking are lone males who live in urban locations.
•
There is no specific type of vehicle targeted by a carjacker; older, less expensive
as well as new luxury models are both at risk.
•
About half of all carjacking attempts are successful.
•
Carjackers usually strike on weekends at night between the hours of 8 and 11 PM.
•
Most carjackers operate alone, but sometimes in pairs
22
Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you should be able to complete the following Learning Outcomes
Know common types of vehicle fraud
and how they are carried out
Vehicle Insurance Fraud
Owner give-up: cannot sell car so they
report it has been stolen
30-day special: files a false theft report hides
vehicle for 30 days, high mileage with
damage likely
Export Scam: shortly after purchased, rented,
leased owner files false theft report
Phantom Car Scheme: fake title/registration
used to secure insurance on a vehicle that
does not exit
24
Vehicle Insurance Fraud
Scapegoat Theft: executed to enable
vehicle owner’s to avoid detection of
another crime they were involved in
Auto Arson: Purposely torch to obtain
insurance money or cover up crime
Inflated Costs: repair facility inflates cost to
make money
25
Odometer Rollback Indicators
1. Loose screws or scratch marks
around the dashboard where the
odometer is located.
2. Fingerprints or debris located on the
inner side of the clear plastic
covering of the instrument panel
where the odometer is located.
3. Numbers that do not appear straight
or line up correctly, especially at the
10,000 mark.
4. Sticking of the odometer when the
vehicle is driven.
5. Stickers on doors, windshields, or
under the hood that indicate
mileage at which services such as oil
changes were performed. These
may exceed the number showing on
the odometer.
26
6. Perform computer checks on vehicle
databases.
7. Altered sections of the original title
where the vehicle’s mileage was
written by its previous owner.
8. Wear of brakes, tires, seats, or other
vehicle components that is
inconsistent with the wear expected
for the stated odometer reading.
9. The vehicle is being sold shortly after
a new title has been issued. A new
title may have been created to
cover up mileage stated on a
previous title.
10. Many odometers contain security
tags and clips where they are
attached to the vehicle. These are
broken when the odometer is either
disconnected or replaced.
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
REQUIRE A VIN:
Transmission
Front and rear bumpers
Engine
Hood
Right and left doors
Sliding cargo door
Right and left quarter panels and side assembly
Pickup/cargo box
Rear doors and hatchback/deck lid/tailgate
27
Reading the VIN
Position 1: Country where the vehicle was manufactured
Position 2: Vehicle Manufacturer
Position 3--8: Description of the Vehicle and features
Position 9: The VIN’s check digit
Position 10: Year vehicle was manufactured
Position 11: Final assembly plant for the vehicle
Position 12--17: Vehicle’s unique serial number
28
Vehicle Databases and Information Sources
National Motor Vehicle
Title Information
System (NMVTIS) :
•
•
•
•
•
•
29
Title information
Brand history
Odometer readings
Total loss history
Salvage history
Law enforcement
specific information
Insurance Service
Office Database:
• Similar to NMVTIS
• Contains insurance
claims
• Database derives
from the National
Insurance Crime
Bureau
Vehicle Databases and Information Sources
National Crime
Information Center:
• Information on
vehicles known to
law enforcement to
be stolen/involved
in criminal activities
30
Other Sources:
• All states have
departments of
motor vehicles with
computerized
databases
regarding
information on
vehicles
Nonautomotive Vehicle Theft
31
Motorcycle
Marine
•Very low
recovery rate
•Many are taken
to a chop shop
•Stolen boats
often go
unreported
•Most are small
crafts 20 ft and
under
•Dry theft, wet
theft, cut and
grab
Heavy
Equipment
•Taken after
hours
•Professional
thieves
•Equipment is
dismantled
•Many pieces
exported
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Generally speaking, individuals who remove, steal, or drive a
vehicle without first obtaining the owner’s permission have
committed motor vehicle theft.
There are various reasons for committing vehicle theft including
(1) joyriding, which is stealing a car or other vehicle to have
“fun” with; (2) short-term transportation, which is stealing a
vehicle simply to get from one place to another because there
are no other available means of transportation; (3) long-term
transportation, which is stealing for the purpose of acquiring a
desired type of vehicle; (4) profit, which is stealing a vehicle to
sell it or its parts for profit; (5) insurance fraud, which involves
making fraudulent claims of theft of, or damage to a vehicle for
purposes of obtaining an insurance settlement; (6) committing
a crime, where a vehicle is stolen for transportation to and from
a crime scene or for other means of facilitating a crime; and
(7) trade for drugs, where a stolen vehicle is stolen and
exchanged for drugs or money to buy drugs.
© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Most vehicle break-ins are carried out by techniques used to
break windows, called ninja rocking and bricking or stoning,
and to force doors open, called door wedging; lock punching;
using devices called Slim Jims; methods involving electronic
key code identification called code grabbing; or simple key
theft from a residence. Vehicle theft methods include using
force to break an ignition lock (ignition punching); hot wiring;
using a key stolen in a burglary or robbery, or that has been left
in the vehicle; using an electronic device called a key cloner ;
taking a car without consent; using a false ID to purchase or
obtain use of a vehicle; or towing the vehicle away.
Vehicle fraud can be carried out to (1) sell a car that has been
stolen or is of less value than the buyer believes it to be or
(2) obtain an insurance settlement for a vehicle under false
pretenses. Vehicle cloning is a popular method used to sell a
salvaged or stolen car under the guise that it has never been
damaged or stolen.
© 2013 by Pearson Higher Education, Inc
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 • All Rights Reserved