Law enforcement expects fall car theft spike

With autumn approaching, there may be a spike in car thefts in the Sky Valley.

The trend is common throughout Snohomish County, said Washington State Patrol Detective Sgt. Jason Knott. When the temperatures start to dip in the morning, people leave their vehicles on in the driveway to warm up. The act creates an easy opening for thieves to step in, he said.

“I read report after report after report,” said Knott, who is also a member of the Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force.

SNOCAT was originally formed to try to break that cycle. The multi-agency team includes law enforcement from WSP, the Marysville Police Department, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office.

Seven cars are stolen in the county every day, according to SNOCAT. More than 2,700 were reported missing in 2015. According to WSP, one in five crimes occur when someone leaves a key in the car. Vehicles are more likely to be taken on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Washington, according to the agency.

The problem is multifaceted, Knott said. People leave keys in their vehicles, or the car running. A thief will break in and either steal the car, items inside, or both. That can include a spare key for another family vehicle, or a garage door opener they will later use to commit a home burglary. Knott said two cars from the same home have been reported stolen before. 

SNOCAT’s primary role is to investigate the crime and try to put a stop to major theft rings. Most of the time their work is reactionary, Knott said.

Washington has one of the highest rates of car theft in the nation, Knott said. It is uncertain why that is. The statistic is “not something any of us are very happy about.” One thing he does know is that substance abuse is closely tied in. Often needles and other paraphernalia will be found in a recovered vehicle, he said.

“It is very rare that we don’t have some sort of component of addiction or drug use, or something along those lines intertwined with car theft,” Knott said.

In Monroe, the monthly and annual rates tend to fluctuate.

Car theft report have been on the rise over the past two months, said Monroe Police Department administrative director Debbie Willis, but were down prior to July.

“When we see an uptick, we ask, ‘Who is out of jail?’ ” Willis said.

Nine vehicles were stolen in Monroe in March — the most taken in one month so far this year, according to statistics provided by Willis. Fifty-one vehicles were stolen in 2016. There were 58 thefts in 2011 and 36 in 2012. The numbers jumped to 82 in 2013, and went down slightly to 72 in 2014 and 78 in 2015.

Vehicles are vulnerable on streets in residential neighborhoods, Willis said. They are often targeted at times when it is unlikely the owner will return to the car within the next few hours. That can mean overnight, or while an employee is on the clock, she said.

In Monroe, Honda Accords and Civics are most frequently stolen, as well as the Acura Integra, Willis said. All were made in the 1990s, she said.

“Most people who own those cars know,” Willis said.

Usually they are only taken for a few hours then dumped, Willis said. The thief knows that is about how much time they have before the owner reports the loss, and then they risk the chance someone could run the license plates and find out it is missing, she said.

Monroe Deputy Chief of Police Ken Ginnard said the department has applied for different grants to help provide residents with more ways to protect their vehicles. Willis said free steering wheel clubs are available at the department for people to come pick up.

Willis said anyone who spots someone walking down a roadway and peering into vehicles should call it in. While it may be suspicious if someone is trying to break in through a window, experienced thieves “get in so quick you wouldn’t even notice,” she said.

SNOCAT recovered and returned 171 stolen cars last year, Knott wrote in an email. As of the end of July, 1,742 vehicles have been taken in Snohomish County this year. The maximum sentence for taking a motor vehicle is up to eight years in prison, and being in possession of a stolen vehicle is up to nearly five years, according to Knott.