Across the nation, thieves are stealing vehicles at near-record levels.Just in the first half of the year, law enforcement reported nearly half of a million vehicles were reported stolen in the U.S. Though auto thefts are up as a whole, Oklahoma law enforcement has seen a different story.It's a crime of opportunity and seems like it's happening more and more. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the United States continues to be plagued with near-record-level auto thefts.In the first six months of the year, nearly 500,000 vehicles were reported stolen nationwide, which is up 2% compared to the first half of 2022. Turns out, the Sooner state is seeing a different story.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here."Oklahoma, however, we are seeing a bit of a downturn on that," said Riley Fletcher with AAA.According to the NICB's report, in 2022, Oklahoma ranked No. 9 in the nation for most vehicle thefts. So far, in 2023, we are ranked No. 13, and the NICB doesn't expect us to meet our 2022 statistics."In the last six months of this year, we have also continued with that decline," said Lt. Bill Vetter with OKC police.Since 2020, almost all of the departments said they have seen fewer and fewer reports of vehicles being stolen. Vetter works with OKC police's auto theft unit and said over the past decade, car thefts in the metro have gone down by 34%."For the past 10 years, we have seen a steady decline in the automobile theft reports," Vetter said. Of those, OKC police said they recover between 88-90% of vehicles that are stolen. However, it's not easy to get away.>> Download the KOCO 5 appDepartments that spoke with KOCO 5 credit more "Flock cameras" around the metro to their success. The cameras read the stolen plates and notify law enforcement.Over the summer, Guthrie police showed KOCO 5 how they work. In one case, they received an alert that a stolen vehicle out of OKC had entered their jurisdiction.New technology in vehicles has also helped."I think mostly the automobile manufacturers are making it harder for criminals to steal the car," Vetter said.Almost all new cars are equipped with immobilizer, which uses embedded microchips in car keys to transmit a coded message. When the car receives the coded message, it will start the engine, but if there's no code, it won't start."So that your car can't be hotwired. It is only fit for your key," Fletcher said.Fletcher said if you're buying a used car, make sure the alarm works. Some newer cars have GPS tracking technology.Even with all the new technology in the world, Vetter said that simply getting a GPS tracker will help keep your car safe."Probably the best way we can protect ourselves is to remove the keys and secure the vehicle," Vetter said.He said about 1/3 of all their cases involved keys being left in the vehicle. Now that colder weather is moving in, the reminder from police is to not leave your car in the driveway to warm up and not leave it running if you stop at a fast station and run inside."I read several reports each day of someone pulling up to a convenience store, getting out and leaving the vehicle unlocked and running. Someone is going to jump in and leave in it," Vetter said.According to the NICB, Chevrolet and Ford pickup trucks are the most stolen vehicles in the country. Honda Civics and Accords are next, but experts said that may be due to older models still on the road that don't have anti-theft technology."There is organized crime involved in auto thefts, but the majority of the cases are individuals wanting to joyride or transportation reasons," Vetter said.Another important thing to remember is in almost every case, auto thefts are a crime of opportunity. Police said it's not just in one area, and they said it happens in every neighborhood in every part of the metro.Top HeadlinesOklahoma man dies after crash involving semitrailer on I-40 in Shawnee, OHP saysTrain derailment in northeast Oklahoma under investigationWewoka students to return to in-person learning Monday with new safety protocolsHow extreme weather in the US may have affected the pumpkins you picked this year for HalloweenSooners fall in AP Top 25 after Kansas serves OU first loss of the season
Across the nation, thieves are stealing vehicles at near-record levels.
Just in the first half of the year, law enforcement reported nearly half of a million vehicles were reported stolen in the U.S. Though auto thefts are up as a whole, Oklahoma law enforcement has seen a different story.
It's a crime of opportunity and seems like it's happening more and more. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the United States continues to be plagued with near-record-level auto thefts.
In the first six months of the year, nearly 500,000 vehicles were reported stolen nationwide, which is up 2% compared to the first half of 2022. Turns out, the Sooner state is seeing a different story.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
"Oklahoma, however, we are seeing a bit of a downturn on that," said Riley Fletcher with AAA.
According to the NICB's report, in 2022, Oklahoma ranked No. 9 in the nation for most vehicle thefts. So far, in 2023, we are ranked No. 13, and the NICB doesn't expect us to meet our 2022 statistics.
"In the last six months of this year, we have also continued with that decline," said Lt. Bill Vetter with OKC police.
Since 2020, almost all of the departments said they have seen fewer and fewer reports of vehicles being stolen. Vetter works with OKC police's auto theft unit and said over the past decade, car thefts in the metro have gone down by 34%.
"For the past 10 years, we have seen a steady decline in the automobile theft reports," Vetter said.
Of those, OKC police said they recover between 88-90% of vehicles that are stolen. However, it's not easy to get away.
Departments that spoke with KOCO 5 credit more "Flock cameras" around the metro to their success. The cameras read the stolen plates and notify law enforcement.
Over the summer, Guthrie police showed KOCO 5 how they work. In one case, they received an alert that a stolen vehicle out of OKC had entered their jurisdiction.
New technology in vehicles has also helped.
"I think mostly the automobile manufacturers are making it harder for criminals to steal the car," Vetter said.
Almost all new cars are equipped with immobilizer, which uses embedded microchips in car keys to transmit a coded message. When the car receives the coded message, it will start the engine, but if there's no code, it won't start.
"So that your car can't be hotwired. It is only fit for your key," Fletcher said.
Fletcher said if you're buying a used car, make sure the alarm works. Some newer cars have GPS tracking technology.
Even with all the new technology in the world, Vetter said that simply getting a GPS tracker will help keep your car safe.
"Probably the best way we can protect ourselves is to remove the keys and secure the vehicle," Vetter said.
He said about 1/3 of all their cases involved keys being left in the vehicle. Now that colder weather is moving in, the reminder from police is to not leave your car in the driveway to warm up and not leave it running if you stop at a fast station and run inside.
"I read several reports each day of someone pulling up to a convenience store, getting out and leaving the vehicle unlocked and running. Someone is going to jump in and leave in it," Vetter said.
According to the NICB, Chevrolet and Ford pickup trucks are the most stolen vehicles in the country. Honda Civics and Accords are next, but experts said that may be due to older models still on the road that don't have anti-theft technology.
"There is organized crime involved in auto thefts, but the majority of the cases are individuals wanting to joyride or transportation reasons," Vetter said.
Another important thing to remember is in almost every case, auto thefts are a crime of opportunity. Police said it's not just in one area, and they said it happens in every neighborhood in every part of the metro.
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Though auto thefts have increased nationwide, Oklahoma law enforcement sees different story - KOCO Oklahoma City
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