The 20 Worst Cities for Stolen Cars

By Jerry Edgerton | CBS MoneyWatch – Tue, Jun 21, 2011 9:10 AM EDT

Read original article HERE.

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What increases a car’s odds of being stolen? Apparently, it’s a California license plate, to judge by data compiled by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. In its annual Hot Spots Report, NICB identifies the metropolitan areas with the highest rate of car theft — and eight of the top 10 areas are in California, with the other two in Washington state.

The report also had a big of good news: The FBI statistics show a 7.2 percent decrease in auto theft nationwide over the previous year. “Improved anti-theft technology and law enforcement efforts have had a significant impact on thefts,” said NICB chief Joe Wehrle — although he pointed out that professional criminal rings and gangs still pose an  ongoing challenge to law enforcement, as well as to car owners.

Professional thieves are particularly active in California, since cars stolen there  can either be moved to Mexico for sale or shipped out to Asia in containers through the ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland, says NICB spokesman Frank Scafidi. State and local budget troubles throughout California may also be causing cutbacks in police and prosecutors specializing in car theft, he added.

Car theft has by no means been banished from the Midwest and East Coast. The second half of the top 20 included Detroit, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Macon, Ga. And not surprisingly, the metro areas where cars are least likely to be stolen tend to be small cities in relatively rural parts of their states. Car theft in the worst city in the U.S. — Fresno, Calif. — is 27 times as frequent as in State College, Pa. — the city with the lowest car theft rate.

Other small cities with low theft rates include Glenns Falls and Elmira, N.Y., Holland, Mich., Harrisonburg, W. Va., and Sheboygan, Wisc. To check the rate in your city, consult the full rankings at the NICB website.

Here’s a rundown of the 20 worst areas for car theft:

1. Fresno, Calif.

2. Modesto, Calif.

3. Bakersfield-Delano, Calif.

4. Spokane, Wash.

5. Vallejo-Fairfield, Calif.

6. Sacramento, Calif. area

7. Stockton, Calif.

8. Visalia-Porterville, Calif.

9. San Francisco-Oakland, Calif. area

10. Yakima, Wash.

11. Laredo, Texas

12. Detroit, Mich. area

13. Seattle, Wash. area

14. Macon, Georgia

15. San Diego, Calif. area

16. Myrtle Beach, SC area

17. Las Vegas, Nev.

18. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.

19. Jackson, Miss.

20. Albuquerque, NM

But no matter where you live, you can take steps to protect your own car from theft. And don’t assume that because you have an older car, no one wants to steal it. The list of most-stolen cars includes many older, mid-priced models. 

Experts advise these precautions:

Discourage thieves: Many car boosters — whether professional or amateur — are looking for the easiest target. So they pass by vehicles that seem to defeat a quick grab. For around $50, you can buy The Club or other steering wheel lock; for about $80, you can get a “tire claw” lock that will keep one wheel from moving. Such locks add to the difficulty and time it takes to steal your car or truck

Sound the alarm: For $200 to $300, an auto electronics shop can install an alarm that will go off if the door is opened without a key. Be sure to get a decal that announces the alarm. The ear-assaulting alarm noise won’t stop all car thieves — but, like The Club, it might encourage them to seek another target.

Kill the engine: Cars, trucks and SUVs from recent years have a built-in system that prevents the vehicle from starting unless the engine computer gets a signal from the precisely matched key. To approximate this in an older car, you can get professional installation of a so-called kill switch. This disrupts the circuitry of the engine unless the switch is turned on. The installer will hide the switch somewhere reachable from the driver’s seat but where thieves cannot quickly find it.

Fresno Co. Budget Plan Will Save Deputies

Posted by the Fresno Bee at 06:19 PM on Friday, Jun. 17, 2011

The reporter can be reached at kalexander@fresnobee.com, 559-441-6679.

Read the full article HERE.

It didn't take long for Fresno County supervisors to decide how to spend $11.3 million they didn't think they had a day earlier.

The Board of Supervisors agreed Friday that the unanticipated revenue – which surfaced Thursday after a faulty budget projection was corrected – would be used to save the jobs of sheriff's deputies who had faced layoffs.

"It's the right thing to do to make this a priority," Sheriff Margaret Mims said.

Supervisors had been struggling to come up with what they thought was a roughly $30 million shortfall. Now that they realize the gap is just $20 million, they have scrapped their plan to lay off nearly 65 deputies and a dozen prosecutors in the District Attorney's Office.

Mims' 968-person department already has seen its ranks cut by 25% over the past three years. Patrol deputies have been among the casualties, as have correctional officers, which has prompted Mims to close three floors of the Fresno County Jail and release thousands of inmates early.

District Attorney Elizabeth Egan has said that cuts have hampered her ability to prosecute criminals.

The Board of Supervisors spent the past week debating its budget and still hasn't approved the $1.64 billion spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1.

But supervisors ended the week with several recommendations, which will go up for a vote at their Tuesday meeting.

The recommendation not to cut public safety is among the most popular with county watchdogs.

"I go all over the county, and everyone recognizes that they're not immune to crime," said Marilyn Kelarjian, president of the Fresno County Sheriff's Neighborhood Watch Association. "It's good to see the county is paying attention to our needs."

Other public services won't fare as well. The agreements reached Friday cut some departmental budgets by more than 10%.

Under the tentative plan, the county's park system would not see as much maintenance, and some parks would have scaled-back hours. Inspection of agricultural goods would slow. And enforcement of health codes and building regulations could stall.

The cuts also mean that dozens of county workers are likely to be laid off, a decision that will be made once department managers get their final budget numbers.

Like other cities and counties, the weak economy has hit Fresno County hard, prompting a third year of decreased spending.

The Board of Supervisors maintains discretion over $259 million of the total budget. The rest is tied to state and federal mandates.

The final budget decisions expected next week are likely to center around what projections should be made for the coming year, including how much the county should anticipate getting in labor concessions.

The budget plan drafted by the County Administrative Office assumes many departments will cut employee compensation by 10%, a target that Supervisor Henry Perea has called unrealistic.

New Neighborhood Watch in Kerman

The City of Kerman has a new Neighborhood Watch.  Residents on Michelle Avenue in Kerman first met on April 4th to organize their Watch.  The meeting was attended by Officer Sandra Mendoza of the Kerman Police Department, and by a representative of the Fresno County Sheriff's Neighborhood Watch Association.  Tonight's meeting was attended by Officer L. Ness of the K.P.D. who gave the residents home security tips.

New Neighborhood Watch signs, recently installed by City crews, were unveiled this evening too.

Officer Ness of the Kerman Police Department unveils the New Neighborhood Watch sign on Michelle Avenue.

Our Neighbors are watching.

The Michelle Avenue Neighborhood Watch group.

Fresno Sheriff's Deputies Could be Cut

Reported by: Kathryn Herr

Email: kherr@cbsfresno.com

Published: 6/13 11:21 pm
See the full story posted on CBS47.tv

Dozens of Sheriff’s deputies could be laid off in Fresno County.

The possible cuts were laid out Monday morning as Fresno County started hearings on the budget for the new fiscal year. And the cuts could impact public safety. 

“Now we’re at the point where we’re having to lay off sworn personnel, deputy sheriffs, if our budget continues to be cut,” said Fresno Sheriff Margaret Mims. 

Mims says she has made drastic cuts to her department in the last four years, as the economy has worsened. So far, the layoffs have not included deputies who patrol the streets. 

“We have looked everywhere, we really have. And that’s why we laid off other personnel before we got to this point,” Mims said. 

But the Sheriff says she needs eight million dollars more from the County or she will have to lay off 64 deputies. If those deputies are cut, it will take longer to respond to calls for help. And fewer crimes will be investigated. 

“Their services are vital to the safety of this community,” said Frances Morrison, who has lived in the Fig Garden neighborhood of Fresno for nearly 20 years. The county island is patrolled by sheriff’s deputies.

“If it wasn't for what the Sheriff's Department does in my neighborhood, this neighborhood would be a ghetto,” said Morrison.

County supervisors have just started their hearings on the budget. It’s up to them to find that eight million dollars for the Sheriff’s Department to save the jobs of deputies.

“I think we all agree we're not going to lay off any deputy sheriff's,” said County Supervisor Henry Perea.

Last year at this time, no one believed the Sheriff would close a floor of the jail to balance the budget. But she did. Nearly two dozen correctional officers were laid off and thousands of inmates released early.