NCJ Number
158564
Date Published
1980
Length
73 pages
Annotation
This report presents a transcript of testimony on U.S. Senate bill 1214, the Automobile Theft Prevention Act of 1979, which is designed to counter the increasing incidence of automobile theft in the United States.
Abstract
The first witness is a convicted car thief who is currently serving time in a Federal prison. He talks about the nature and scope of his car-theft activities in Virginia and Maryland and provides details on theft techniques and how money is made through auto theft and the sale of the parts of stolen vehicles. A panel of salvage yard owners also testifies. One member of this panel argues against the bill, stating that the bill is an inappropriate remedy for commercial auto theft. He argues that the labeling of major component vehicle parts by auto recyclers is a logical step by the Department of Transportation that will be overly burdensome to the industry and of little investigative value to the auto theft investigator. He also states that two sections of the bill disallow lawful State activity as a legal defense to vehicle identification number removal alteration or removal, and thus effectively repeal State law. These same sections may expand traditional Federal authority beyond vehicles moving in interstate commerce. A panel of law enforcement officials and a panel of insurance adjusters generally support the bill, while recommending some modifications.