Digital News Report – The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) listed eight California city areas in their top ten spots for having the highest metropolitan city auto theft rates during 2010. Two metropolitan areas in Washington State were the other spots listed on the top ten list. The crime rates go far beyond the city perimeter and in some cases, such as with Fresno, includes the entire county data.
Santa Cruz-Watsonville metropolitan area ranked number 106 out of 366 listed. They had 618 thefts reported in 2010 with a theft rate of 235.53.
San Jose-Sunny Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan areas ranked number 18 in auto thefts with 8,095 reports in 2010 and at a rate of 440.69.
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranked number 9 with 22,617 vehicle thefts at a rate of 521.68. In 2009, the San Francisco and surrounding communities ranked number 7, and in 2008, they ranked number 9.
The number one ranked metropolitan city area for the highest auto theft rate went to Fresno, California, which had 7,559 thefts reported in 2010 at a rate of 812.4. The year prior, Fresno ranked number 5 on the list, and in 2008 they were number 10.
Northern California ranked higher in auto theft rates than in other parts of the state. Five areas in the top ten list for the most auto thefts were in Fresno (ranked #1), Modesto (ranked #2), Sacramento and surrounding cities (ranked #6), Stockton (ranked #7), and San Francisco and the surrounding area (ranked #9).
The NICB organization recommends vehicle owners be careful to prevent auto theft by parking in a well-lit area, locking your doors, and not leaving your keys in the car when you are not inside it. Anti-theft devices can be helpful. There are a number of vehicle warning devices to deter criminals from stealing your car. There are devices that can cause the car to stop working from a remote source such as a key chain. There is also vehicle-tracking services that can help to recover a stolen vehicle.
By: Greg Cook