NCJ Number
153933
Date Published
1980
Length
543 pages
Annotation
This report presents the transcript and statements on U.S. House bill H.R. 4178, which is intended to improve the physical security features of the motor vehicle and its parts, to increase the criminal penalties of persons trafficking in stolen motor vehicle parts, to curtail the exportation of stolen motor vehicles, and to stem the growing problem of "chop shops."
Abstract
Agency reports of the Commerce Department, Justice Department, the Office of Management and Budget, and the State Department show support for H.R. 4178. Statements of various Federal agencies, insurance agencies, and local law enforcement agencies generally support the legislation, with some suggestions for improvement. Support for the legislation is based in its increase in criminal penalties for auto theft and related criminal operations. It would also enable U.S. marshals and U.S. Customs Service agents to make a thorough documentation of each car shipped out of the country to make sure that it is not a stolen vehicle. Further, the bill would require that a vehicle inspection number be stamped on each major part, on the doors, on the fenders, on the hood, and on the trunk cover so that in a repair shop the parts that are put on the car after an accident could be identified. If they could be identified, that means that the auto repair owner would not be willing to buy parts from a car that had been stolen and sold to him by organized crime. This would eliminate the markets for the major parts of the car, thus reducing the incentive for organized crime to stay in the business of systematically organizing the car-theft racket in the United States.