New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

Nassau County Office Police DepartmentDuring 2009 stolen vehicle reports have increased by 4% and arrests for stolenvehicles increased by 34%. Much of this increase in arrests can be attributed to theSAVE program and the coordination that comes from this program. Also, 1,105 motorvehicle thefts were tracked by the Search Apprehension Vehicle Enforcement (SAVE)program, with investigations into 420 of them. There were 499 stolen vehiclesrecovered, with a value of more than $5.5 million. In addition, 50 misdemeanor and 77felony arrests were made on charges including criminal possession of stolen property,criminal possession of a forged instrument, illegal possession of a VIN number, andgrand larceny. The majority of SAVE activities conducted during this year involved theinvestigation of motor vehicle theft and related crimes. However, as all SAVE officersare trained in the identification of insurance fraud-related crimes, all motor vehicleaccidents and related incidents are, and will continue to be, systematically reviewed forrisk factors. These numbers illustrate the effectiveness of the Nassau County PoliceDepartment SAVE program.Weekly patterns and trends of motor vehicle-related crimes are analyzed totarget specific high incidence locations, times or places of occurrence. During 2009, theSAVE Unit targeted street racers, as it has become evident that their V-Tech engines,which are highly popular with young drivers and can make an ordinary vehicle highpowered, are commonly stolen. High-end motorcycles that race through the streets andhighways are also being targeted for stolen parts, and there has been an increase in thelarcenies of tires and rims.The cornerstone of the department’s strategy is the training segment offered toall precinct SAVE officers. Each of the six participating precincts now have certifiedSAVE officers, who have received specialized training to identify key factors of vehicletheft crimes in order to increase the timely investigation of suspicious activity related tomotor vehicle theft, insurance fraud, and related crimes. They are trained in the properenforcement methods employed by the SAVE Unit. The enforcement segment of thestrategy mainly focuses on the use of license plate readers (LPRs) and theenhancement of targeted street patrols for enforcement, investigation of forged out-ofstateregistrations/documents and salvage yard inspections. SAVE officers utilizedLPRs to identify violators and enforce the Vehicle and Traffic Law. LPRs were deployedin areas that have a high stolen auto rate, such as malls, to locate and arrest stolenauto offenders. Additionally, the plate readers were used in conjunction with chase carsto maximize their effectiveness on major thoroughfares to locate violators. SAVEofficers and supervisors review all stolen vehicles reports and make the determinationas to the locations to best deploy these plate readers. The high incident locations wereamended as trends and patterns were gleaned from the reports. SAVE officersdocumented any changes in the locations. They were then able to effectively implementthe investigation segment, which was twofold: first, focusing on identifying fraudulentlyreported stolen vehicles, and second, identifying stolen vehicles and parts. Through thesystemic review of stolen vehicle reports for the identification of the key motor vehicletheft/insurance fraud indicators, the SAVE officers were able to track, and then furtherinvestigate suspicious incidents. Once identified, the officers commenced theirNYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 45