New Report: Car Thefts Soar
in Richmond, Across the State

RICHMOND —Richmond’s rate of auto theft – already one of the highest in the region – grew by 15 percent last month, a figure corresponding with similar increases in Sonoma and Contra Costa Counties and in many parts of the rest of the state. Police attribute the rise to an increasing street demand for stylish auto accessories found in sporty car models manufactured in the late 1980s.

According to a monthly crime report released by Richmond police today, thieves stole 174 cars in the city last month, a jump of 24 over July.

Mike Erwin, former public information officer from the National Insurance Crime Bureau who is knowledgeable on auto theft statistics, reported that Alameda County has seen a 12 percent rise, Sonoma County a 36 percent surge and a statewide increase of 14 percent.

With easy traffic access to two Bart stations and three major freeways, Richmond has many commuter parking lots that are also known as "ideal shopping centers of auto thieves for any vehicles they want," said Richmond Police Sgt. Roan Barry, 45. Barry, a case-specialist in auto theft, said all clues point to a very specific profile of recent thieves--juveniles who steal sporty imports of the most popular vehicles.

The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry of the1980s are the biggest theft targets, and are listed as the topmost stolen vehicles in Contra Costa County "partly because of their easily broken-down locking and ignition systems", said Jim Filippi, 24, a beat officer of Hilltop, who also admits teenager thieves are more difficult to catch recently because they avoid obvious joyriding and selling easily trackable in-tact vehicles. "They steal the cars, replace accessories for their own car or resell the parts to import-auto enthusiasts who want to deck their cars out with the most stylish gear."

Barry said the available black market is teeming with car thieves offering deep discounts over the same product sold at legitimate car shops. Wheels, airbags, stereos and fenders are usually the items found missing in stolen vehicles abandoned off the sidewalks.

"It (selling stolen parts) is lucrative," said Rick Hernandez, 24, a mechanic at Precision Peoples Car Repair on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley. Hernandez said that cars sold piecemeal were worth even more than they were intact. "For example, an air bag costs usually $500 as opposed to $900 brand-new part, when an intact stolen Ford Mustang could only be sold for $200 or $300 illegally."

Johnny Jones, 18 of Richmond, is one of the most recent auto theft suspects caught by Richmond Police Department. Police said Jones was caught in a 1988 Toyota Camry in the parking lot of Hilltop Mall three days after the car was reported stolen from one of Richmond’s most affluent neighborhoods.

Jones, a first-time offender, will possibly end up in the county jail for six months, said Barry, if he is found guilty of the offense. Police say such a typically short sentence is another reason for the increasing auto theft rate, especially among younger teenagers.