Car thefts on rise in county

Report says car theft in Washtenaw County at a five-year high

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents released a report this week stating that auto theft in Washtenaw County increased by 4.3 percent last year.

The report also stated that auto theft for the entire state was at its highest in five years, largely due to an increase in stolen cars in Detroit.

Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Larry Jerue said auto theft can result from a variety of motives. "It's difficult to say what the motive sometimes may be," Jerue said. He pointed out that joy riding and obtaining auto parts are two likely motives for stealing cars.

KEVIN KRUPITZER/Daily Auto theft is a common crime on the rise in Washtenaw County. Car thieves often take radios and airbag units from the stolen cars.

"Any unauthorized driving away of the automobile belonging to (another) is considered auto theft," Jerue said. "There's certainly different styles of auto theft."

Jerue said a student borrowing a friend's car and not returning it falls under the definition of auto theft.

AAPD Lt. David Lovell said police officers always keep their eyes open for stolen vehicles when cruising around Ann Arbor.

"We arrest the driver if he's driving a stolen car," he said.

The Michigan Association of Insurance Agents, which issued the report, is a trade group that works out of Lansing.

Despite the overall increase in Washtenaw County in 1996, the Department of Public Safety documented only 29 University car thefts last year, representing a sharp dropoff from 1995, when 47 car thefts were reported.

Despite the trade group's findings, students who drive on and around campus say they do not take many precautions to avoid auto theft.

"I just lock my doors, that's about it," said Kinesiology sophomore Chad Henman, who said he drives from home to class every day.

"I don't think it's common (because) I don't hear much about it," he said.

Education junior Kelly Yakemonis, who said she usually parks her car in different areas around campus or in the parking lot across from West Quad, said she is not overly concerned about auto theft. "It's always a concern in the back of your mind," she said. "(But) I think locking your car is good enough."

There are a number of precautions students can take in order to cut down their chances of auto theft, including parking in well-lit areas, removing valuables from plain sight, shutting windows and sunroofs and using an antitheft device, according to MAIA.

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