Chapter 16: Vehicle Thefts and Related Offenses
Swanson: Criminal Investigation, 13e
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Chapter 16
Vehicle Thefts and Related Offenses
Objectives
1. Identify types of motor vehicle theft.
2. List techniques for disposing of stolen motor vehicles.
3. Describe challenges associated with the theft and investigation of heavy equipment and
farm equipment.
Introduction
In 2019, motor vehicle theft occurred at a rate of about 220 per 100,000 people. While this is still
a somewhat alarming number, it actually reflects a downward trend; such thefts have dropped
over 50% from their peak in 1991. Efforts of law enforcement, anti-theft and prevention
programs, and technology that deters or prevents theft have all contributed to lower numbers of
motor vehicle theft and “peace of mind for vehicle owners” across the country.
When investigating vehicle theft, officers must consider the reason for the theft. Vehicles may be
stolen temporarily, for example, for use in the commission of other crimes such as robberies or
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schemes.
Professional thieves use a variety of means such as chop shops, stripping, salvage switches, and
export to other countries to dispose of stolen vehicles. Once a vehicle has been chopped or
stripped, trying to identify particular stolen vehicles and/or parts can be extremely difficult.
Given limited law enforcement resources and an economically difficult time, vehicle theft may
not be considered a top priority. Nonetheless, investigators have many major resources and
organizations at their disposal. This chapter provides an overview of several of these resources,
Lecture Notes
I. Motor Vehicle Theft
A total of 721,885 motor vehicle thefts occurred in the United States in 2019, representing a loss
of $6.4 billion dollars. Of those thefts, about 75% were automobiles. While motor vehicle thefts
A. Types of Theft
Motor vehicle thefts generally fall into one of four categories: temporary theft, joyriding,
professional theft, or fraud. The term temporary theft represents the thefts of vehicles
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B. Methods of Operation—the Professional
To turn a profit, professional thieves use a variety of means to dispose of stolen motor
vehicles. Among the most common are chop shops, quick strip, salvage switch, export, and
cloning.
Very simply, a chop shop is a place where stolen vehicles are disassembled for resale of their
parts. In a quick strip, a vehicle is stolen and stripped mainly for valuable accessories such as
Vehicles manufactured in the United States are extremely popular in other countries. Vehicles
manufactured in other countries for sale in the United States are also stolen for export.
Vehicle cloning is a crime in which stolen vehicles receive the identity of nonstolen, legally
owned vehicles of the same make and model. This is accomplished by counterfeiting labels,
stickers, VIN plates, and titles to make the stolen car look legitimate.
C. Fraudulent Theft Schemes
Fraudulent auto-theft claim schemes fall into three major categories: false-vehicle schemes, in
False-vehicle schemes are particularly prevalent where insurance companies are lax or have
ineffective programs to verify the existence of a vehicle before issuing an insurance policy.
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Once a salvaged vehicle is purchased, insurance coverage is obtained. After a short time, a
theft-loss claim is filed for the vehicle, which, of course, was in “excellent condition.” In
As opposed to the many different fraudulent schemes in which no vehicle exists, in a false-
theft scheme, the vehicle does exist and is in fact owned by the person who has obtained the
insurance policy. The primary reason why an owner would file a phony theft-loss is generally
either to avoid liability for some conduct that resulted from the use of the vehicle or to reduce
or avoid some financial loss.
II. Heavy Construction Equipment Theft
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) estimates over 10,000 heavy equipment thefts
occur each year, with annual losses varying between $300 million to $1 billion—not including
losses from business interruption as a result of the theft. Locations with more construction or
agricultural work face more equipment thefts.
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Another issue that compounded the construction equipment theft problem until recently was the
fact that off-road equipment, unlike conventional motor vehicles, had no standard, permanently
III. Commercial-Vehicle and Cargo Theft
The insurance industry pays out about $18 million every year because of commercial-vehicle
theft. It is difficult to convert this figure to the number of vehicles stolen, because commercial-
IV. Investigative Tools and Techniques
Despite the fact that vehicle theft may not be among the offenses receiving the highest priority
for the allocation of limited resources by a law enforcement agency, there are thousands of
A. Major Investigative Resources
Automatic License Plate Recognition Systems (ALPR) can be installed in law enforcement
vehicles or at permanent locations on streets or highways. The technology allows thousands
of vehicle license plates to be checked in short periods of time, limited only by the number of
vehicles available to check.
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Office, Inc. (ISO), a private company, are invaluable investigative aids.
Every 5 years, the NICB also publishes the Commercial Vehicle Identification Manual, which
contains the following information:
• World manufacturer identification codes
Known formerly as the Canadian Insurance Crime Prevention Bureau, the Insurance Bureau
Canada has been functioning since 1923 but became an independent division within the
Insurance Council of Canada on January 1, 1998. It is to Canada what NICB is to the United
States.
Many states have organizations consisting of auto-theft investigators who meet regularly to
exchange intelligence information and learn new methods of combating the problems of theft
and fraud.
In the mid-1970s Kemper Insurance Company created the first special investigative unit (SIU)
for insurance companies. Its primary purpose was to investigate potentially fraudulent auto-
theft claims. There are more than 800 SIU investigators employed in the insurance industry
working fraud claims.
B. AAMVA and NMVTIS
The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) is the system
operator for the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). The
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In virtually all state governments, organizations or entities exist that possess information of
value to investigators. Specifically, motor vehicle and driver’s license offices, insurance fraud
investigative units, and fire and arson investigative units may provide valuable information or
assistance.
In an effort to stem the tide of stolen vehicles being exported from the country, the NICB,
U.S. and Canadian Customs, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Insurance Bureau Canada, and
Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida, along with other law enforcement agencies, the
insurance industry, and other interested parties, established the North American Export
Committee in 1995. The committee investigates ways in which the exporting of stolen
vehicles could be slowed without impeding commerce at port facilities.
The scope of the theft of heavy construction equipment has led manufacturers, dealers, and
insurers to support the development of a national database of stolen equipment and provide
the services of law enforcement specialists in the recovery of stolen equipment. The National
Equipment Register (NER) facilitates the identification of lost and stolen equipment and the
return of such equipment to owners and insurers and promotes due diligence in the purchase
of used equipment, thereby deterring the trade in stolen equipment.
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C. Locating and Handling Vehicles
In recent years some investigators have gotten seriously ill while performing their jobs.
Locating and handling the recovery of vehicles and parts can be very dangerous. Often, an
D. Vehicle Identification
Often the most difficult and time-consuming task facing an investigator is the identification of
a recovered vehicle. Since 1954 American automobile manufacturers have used a vehicle
When the U.S. dollar is strong overseas, it becomes economically feasible for individuals to
purchase motor vehicles in other countries and have them shipped to the United States for
sale, resale, or personal use. If gray-market vehicles are brought into the United States
legally, a bond for each must be posted with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) until such
time as the appropriate modifications have been made to bring the vehicle into compliance
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission control requirements and the
safety standards promulgated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
All cars distributed in the United States since 1970 must have a federal safety standards
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certification sticker. If the sticker is removed, it leaves behind a “footprint” that often shows
the word “void.”
In an effort to reduce auto theft by easing the process of vehicle identification, Congress
enacted the Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act of 1984. Title I of the law requires
that manufacturers place additional permanent identification numbers on up to 14 major parts
In any investigation, even when it appears that the VIN has not been altered or defaced, the
investigator must check the validity of the identifying numbers. A VIN edit computer
program available at many law enforcement agencies and state motor vehicle regulatory
offices can readily determine if the entered VIN is “good.”
E. Investigation of Vehicle Fires
Before beginning the physical investigation of a vehicle fire scene, the investigator must
understand that the crime scene examination includes both the vehicle and the area in which it
was burned. A thorough search should be made of the area for tire-tread marks, footprints,
cans, bottles, other containers, unusual residue or materials, old tires, matches, or any other
item that may be related to the case. The inspection starts where the fire apparently originated.
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the intensity of heat sometimes point to the use of an inflammable.
F. Contact with the Owner
Before interviewing the owner, the investigator should learn as much as possible about
V. Prevention Programs
Each year new and innovative approaches to the prevention and the detection of crime and the
apprehension of offenders are developed.
A. Auto Theft
Law enforcement officers and agencies in a number of jurisdictions now rely on integrated
communications and computer networks of the FBI, state, and local police to identify and
B. Car Rentals
Theft of rental vehicles generally occurs when a vehicle is not returned after it has been
rented. However, one new car theft technique targets rental agencies. Frequently, when cars
C. Heavy Equipment
Tiny transponders that act as identification devices are now available. The device can be
D. Fraud
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The prevention of fraud can best be accomplished by knowing some things about both the
VI. Odometer and Title Fraud
While people might think that the old days of cranking back odometer dials is over, thanks to
digital odometers, that’s not the case. In fact, digital odometers are susceptible to manipulation
Because of the proliferation of this fraud, most states have created some type of investigative
unit to deal with odometer tampering by accepting complaints from citizens and determining if
there is any basis for enforcement action. Title fraud is as big a part of the odometer rollback
problem as is the act of clocking. Title alteration, discarding of title reassignment forms to
complicate the tracing of ownership, manufacturing of false reassignments, and title laundering
are criminal acts that violators often engage in to support and cover up odometer rollbacks.
VII. Marine Theft
Marine theft is an expensive problem for the boating community. It includes the theft of boats,
Why are boats stolen? The number-one reason is profit. Marine theft is a high-profit, low-risk
crime. There is also a lucrative market for the exportation of stolen outboard motors.
A. Hull Identification
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Effective November 1, 1972, the Federal Boating Safety Act of 1971 required boats to have a
12-character hull identification number (HIN). Although manufacturers are required to affix
B. Title and Registration Issues
There are approximately 12 million pleasure boats in the United States. Roughly 225,000 of
these are federally registered by the Coast Guard and are referred to as “documented.”
C. NCIC Boat File
The Boat File, 1 of the 17 NCIC 2000 files, records information on stolen boats, boat trailers,
D. Investigative Resources
A major resource is the International Association of Marine Investigators. This organization
E. Preventive Measures
There are several ways a boat owner can lessen the possibility of marine theft. To discourage
VIII. Aircraft and Avionics Theft
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The theft of aircraft electronic equipment, or avionics, can be a highly lucrative enterprise for
thieves. Stolen avionics are often resold through the used-parts market or to persons who need
the items and are willing to overlook the source of such reasonably priced equipment.
A. Resources
It is advised that before undertaking a significant investigation, an investigator should visit a
B. Theft Techniques
The techniques thieves use to steal aircraft and burglarize aircraft for the avionics equipment
C. Aircraft Identification
Aircraft have the same basic identification information as do motor vehicles. The major
D. Theft Prevention Techniques
Following are a few examples of the theft-deterrent devices available and the actions an
aircraft owner can take, some without cost, to reduce the chance of theft of the aircraft or the
avionics.
• There are a number of alarm systems on the market, and some even have a pain
generator, a second piercing alarm inside the cockpit that is most aggravating to the
Chapter 16: Vehicle Thefts and Related Offenses
Swanson: Criminal Investigation, 13e