Car thieves smell a RATT

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, Nov, 1995 by Steven J. Casey

The three men talked about the deals they had made together. So far, he had sold them a T-bird, a Mustang, an Explorer, and a Bronco. Bragging about his sophisticated techniques, the thief explained that when he steals a car from a driveway or street, he brings along some broken automotive glass and maybe an ignition lock to leave on the ground. It makes the car owner and the police think that an amateur stole the vehicle. However, he told the buyers that he really prefers stealing from dealerships because car dealers usually inventory their vehicles only once a month. By learning the inventory dates, he can hit soon thereafter, knowing that the theft probably will not be reported for the better part of a month.

Imagine the thief's surprise when the trio arrived at its destination, and he learned the true identities of the two buyers - police detectives on the San Diego County Regional Auto Theft Task Force, known as RATT. This car thief had just been bitten by a RATT.

AN EPIDEMIC PROBLEM

Auto theft from dealers' lots, residential driveways, and city streets has been a problem of epidemic proportions in the San Diego area for years. Until recently, law enforcement had not found effective ways to address it.

In the 10-year period from 1983 through 1992, auto theft in San Diego County increased 196 percent, from 12,099 cars stolen in 1983 to 35,923 in 1992. The total dollar loss in 1992 alone reached nearly $210 million. Yet, at the end of that period, all of the police agencies in San Diego County combined still dedicated only 25 detectives to auto theft investigations.

Departments gave auto theft cases low priority, worked such cases only in the reactive mode, and did not provide countywide coordination, perform indepth crime analyses, or conduct long-term investigations. Even when prosecutors convicted car thieves, sentences were light, with auto thieves often sentenced to time only in a local jail.

A COORDINATED RESPONSE

Formed in mid-1992, the Regional Auto Theft Task Force was designed to respond to the rampant auto theft problem in the San Diego area. Operating under a formal Memorandum of Understanding, the task force brings detectives and prosecutors together to address the auto theft problem. The first coordinated auto theft task force to operate in California, RATT draws its 28 detectives from 16 local, State, and Federal agencies.(1)

The detectives coordinate closely with three prosecutors from the district and U.S. attorney's offices to develop cases. These attorneys work exclusively on RATT's cases, providing legal advice, acquiring search warrants, and handling all post-arrest activity. Some cases, of course, warrant more participation than others, but the attorneys supply all necessary legal support of each case, from inception through prosecution.

Funding

To fund the task force, motorists in the region pay an additional $1 registration fee per car, as authorized by California law. This fee provides RATT with $1.8 million per year.

The task force also obtained a $318,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice. The grant allows RATT to educate vehicle owners about theft prevention and to hire a full-time crime analyst to assist the task force. In addition, the money provides funds for the criminal research division of the San Diego Association of Governments to evaluate and document RATT's approach and performance.

Results of the evaluation will be used to determine the most effective techniques and to share the information among agencies. One significant byproduct of this information-sharing venture will be an improved computer database that will provide more detailed information to auto theft investigators than is available now.

Organization

The task force operates countywide in four teams, each led by a sergeant from one of the participating agencies. The sergeants report to an FBI special agent with extensive experience in auto theft investigation, who directs task force operations from its undercover location in central San Diego County. An executive committee selected by the Police Chiefs and Sheriff's Association of San Diego County provides oversight for the task force.

Although task force members must be veteran detectives and make a 2-year commitment to the program, officers regard working on RATT as choice duty. As evidence of this, when one of the original task force detectives received a promotion and had to be replaced, 121 deputies applied for the position.

Task force members must be adept at handling long-term, proactive investigations and informant development, for these are the keys to RATT's success. Once selected, officers attend a 1-week street survival course at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Strategies

Under the RATT concept, investigators combine four main strategies: Theft analysis, maintenance of an intelligence base, active liaison with other law enforcement agencies, and informant development. Theft analysis involves, for example, tracking the locations and types of vehicles stolen and monitoring the known chop shops operating in the area. In addition to using available intelligence resources, such as the California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System and the National Crime Information Center, RATT investigators also rely heavily on the rich resources of the private National Insurance Crime Bureau to maintain an auto theft intelligence base.