Shaft333 said:
I wonder if they are only counting stolen vehicles or vehicles that had parts taken off from it... such as rims. Anyone know?
Yep. First, let me say that the name for this crime we're talking about changes from county to county, but what happens with the crime stats does not.
Stats. Gotta love them. You can use stats to prove (and disprove) anything. Take for instances how the homicide rate of any major city can be reduced 50 percent, by buying 50 percent more ambulances...Hehehe, It's true! Crime stats also multiply when you put more cops on the beat in one specific geographical area. Think about it? A local "citizen group" complains that crime is on the increase in their neighborhood because local cops are uncariing, or, "spend too much time in donut shops", and the Chief/District Commander responds with a police "full court press". Guess what the end result will be, go ahead, guess. More criminals are apprehended, thus more crime gets reported "stat-wise", and crime seems to go up. It's true, and it never fails.
Here in Chicago, the Central Auto Theft group (CAT) counts auto related crimes and it's under my command. My team works 24/7, counting stolen (and recovered) automobiles, and entering stolen auto (and deleting when recovered) from Illinois and national law enforcement computer systems.
CAT also logs "index" crimes for the FBI "Uniform Crime Reporting" national stats. These FBI mandated stats are released to the public monthly, and again, stats can produce a lot of misinformation.
According to the rules established by the FBI, an
Auto Theft is an index crime all by itself. Auto Theft occurs when the whole car is stolen. When just parts are taken from a car, but the rest of the car remains, it's classified as another "index" crime, simple Theft (under 300 dollars value and Theft/Over). If the automobile is taken from inside a structure, like a garage, it's recorded as a Burglary. When the automobile is taken when the owner/driver is present, it's recorded as a Robbery. When the owner/driver is inside the car when the demand is made, it's a Vehicle Hijacking, and when a gun is used make the demand fearful, it's Aggravated Vehicle Hijacking.
Confused? Me too! But, when someone stealing just the wheels (or other components) from the automobile, it's just Theft (under/over). Take the whole car, but leave the VIN tag, it's still just Theft, because what was stolen is not an automobile without a VIN tag. BTW, a shoplifter stealing a bottle of asprin is also just a Theft (under) and it's counted (scored) the same as wheels from a Marauder. So, if you want to beat someone to near death for shoplifting asprin, grab a tire iron, I'm sure he'll need the asprin.
Moreover, it's more work for the CAT team when a private tow company tows a car for illegal parking on private property, or, it gets repossessed. When owners beat the tow driver/repo dude to the telephone, it's an Auto Theft stat. Even when it's located, and intact just a few minutes later, the owner's report of a stolen car stays on books as an Auto Theft stat. Therefore, if a tow company/repo dude hooks five automobiles in one zip code, but doesn't report them to my CAT team before the owners make police reports, the Auto Theft "index" for that zip code goes up by 5, even though the car wasn't really stolen. Stats. Gotta love them.
It's also true that only the '04s are counted in this report, by virtue of their "M79" VIN designation. '03s are "M75", and are counted as Gran Marquis. How misleading is that?
I can't say for sure, but it looks like this report was built around "number of vehicles stolen per capita, where "capita = number sold". If so, yes, we could rank #8 in this stat perversion. Happy Motoring, y'all. Insurance rates for '04 owners are sure to gain some attention from insurance companies, if nothing more than their excuse to raise rates.
Hack Goby said:
The Chicago-Detroit rumble over whos car guy is better got way out of control and I told myself not to get into such things agian.
Yeah maybe. Still, you (and BigSlim), took some uncharacteristic swings yourselves. Said some things I never expected to hear from you two. General "rule of thumb" on that crap is, if you don't want to be a suspect standing a line-up, don't be seen hanging out at the crime scene.