Seattle -- Chief Gil Kerlikowske today announced enhanced efforts by the Seattle Police Department to combat auto theft in the City of Seattle. Chief Kerlikowske introduced several new technologies recently tested by the department that may significantly reduce the number of stolen vehicles in the city as well as assist in the apprehension and prosecution of auto thieves.

License Plate Reader Technology is one of several projects the department is undertaking to assist police officers in identifying stolen vehicles. The technology employs a device that when installed on a patrol car, automatically takes digital pictures of the license plates on the vehicles that the patrol car is passing. If the license plate is listed as a stolen vehicle or is flagged for any other reason, the officer is notified that they have just passed a vehicle of interest. The computer has the ability to read up to 1,000 plates per hour and can cover two or more lanes of traffic at once.

“We are hopeful that this new technology will increase the number of offenders who are ultimately arrested and successfully prosecuted for the crime of auto theft,” said Chief Kerlikowske.

In partnership with the Seattle Police Department and Safeco Insurance, Kay Godefroy Executive Director of the Seattle Neighborhood Group announced the availability of the Club to Seattle city residents. Residents will be able to purchase the anti-theft device for their cars at a reduced price through the Seattle Neighborhood website, http://www.sngi.org/. The program was underwritten by Safeco Insurance.

“The bottom line is this: vehicles that look harder to steal are stolen less frequently” said Godefroy.

In addition to the license plate reader system, Kerlikowske noted that the department currently deploys several patrol vehicles equipped with the LoJack security system. If a vehicle owner has the LoJack system installed on their vehicle, asignal is activated when the car is stolen and can be tracked by officers trained and equipped to locate the vehicle. The department is also obtaining a VIN etching machine that etches the VIN of a vehicle onto its windows. This makes vehicles far less desirable to car thieves because the auto is much easier to trace.

The department is preparing to begin deploying specially outfitted bait cars in the city. These vehicles are equipped with a type of Geographic Positioning System that activates when the car is stolen. The vehicle can be remotely ‘stalled’ leaving the thief stranded in the vehicle as officers arrive.

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