An 'Epidemic' Spurs Search for Remedies

Police officials say the reason the arrest numbers are so low is that until fairly recently, they did not have resources dedicated adequately to investigate stolen cars. There were 12 officers working on vehicle theft initiatives. "Our efforts were not as focused as we needed to be," said San Felice.

In January, the county established the Auto Vehicle Theft and Vandalism Prevention Task Force, which aims to educate people about car thefts. And last month, it contributed to the expansion of the Washington Area Vehicle Enforcement team, which now has 28 members. The WAVE team, as it is known, investigates auto thefts. Its members come from law enforcement agencies around the region, including the U.S. Marshals Service, District and Montgomery County police, and Maryland State Police.

The team, whose headquarters is in Prince George's, used to have two members from the county and now has 10. "In order to address their auto theft problem, they have to help us with ours," said San Felice, who heads the WAVE team.

Last year, 6,508 of the cars stolen in Prince George's were recovered in the county, and 3,078 cars that were stolen outside the county were found here, according to police data.

Vernon R. Herron, the county's director of public safety and co-chairman of the auto theft task force, said he believes if police can track specific groups of criminals, instances of car thefts will drop significantly.

"You have the same group of people committing these crimes," Herron said. "If our suspicions are true, we are going to put a dent in auto thefts."

Herron attributes the 16.6 percent drop in auto thefts to a campaign that is educating people not to leave their keys in their car while they wait inside for it to warm up, or while they run into a convenience store to grab a cup of coffee on their way to work.

Across the county, an average of about 30 percent of stolen cars are taken while the keys are in the ignition but the driver is nowhere in sight, county police say. As part of the Lock It and Pocket campaign, police have been canvassing neighborhoods on weekday mornings and warning people not to make themselves attractive to car thieves. They will soon begin handing out $55 tickets, which is the penalty for leaving a running car unattended.

"We need to address those citizens that are leaving their keys in their cars," Herron said.

But many others who don't leave their ignition fired up while they're away from the wheel also fall victim to thieves.

Rushern L. Baker III, a former state delegate and a likely Democratic challenger to County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) in next year's election, held a news conference last week to denounce county officials for the high car theft rate. Baker had his burgundy Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle stolen several years ago from his driveway in Cheverly. A critic of the Johnson administration on crime and other issues, Baker said that when his car was taken, he felt violated, but hardly alone.

"It's hard to run into anybody who doesn't know someone who had their car stolen," Baker said. He said the issue of car theft in the county is frustrating, because the problem has been building for several years and police have not seriously addressed it.

"Rather than us being in front of the ball, we're always behind the curve. We're playing catch-up all the time," Baker said. "We know these problems are out there. They are not new issues."

Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey has four prosecutors dealing exclusively with car thefts. He and county officials are talking to local judges about establishing an auto theft court. The court would hear a docket only for people charged with stealing cars, in an effort to focus resources and try to make sentencing uniform.

"We want a consistent enforcement message on the street," Ivey said.

Other crime-fighting measures the county is planning include bait cars, which are rigged vehicles planted by police in certain spots. Officers would sit and wait for someone to steal the car, and once the thief is inside, remotely kill the gas and lock the doors before arresting the suspect. Another is the use of "infrared tag readers," which an officer can point at the license plate on a passing vehicle and automatically know whether the car has been reported stolen.

Herron, whose car was taken years ago in Chicago, said he can relate to the inconvenience and angst it causes. He said the county hopes to keep more cars out of the hands of thieves. "We are not proud that a great number of the vehicles stolen in Maryland are stolen here," Herron said. "We are really going to step up enforcement."