New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

Strategy: Street Interdiction, Speed Shop InspectionDetectives regularly inspect local speed shops, car shows, and car meetlocations. Honda and Acura vehicles are popular with street racers and the inspection ofvehicles at pre-race meeting places and speed shops has resulted in a high number ofrecoveries of stolen vehicles and stolen vehicle parts that are in great demand by streetracers. This strategy has resulted in the recovery of numerous engines, transmissions,airbags, and interior parts from many vehicles both stolen locally and out-of-state. Inaddition, street sources have been cultivated for future investigations. This strategy ledto the identification of a chop shop that was operating in a residential neighborhood, theseizure of many stolen and altered parts from several Honda vehicles, and the arrest ofthe operator.Strategy: Scrap Yard, Dismantler MonitoringWhen older vehicles are reported stolen, detectives of the Vehicle Theft Sectionnotify area salvage yards and vehicle dismantlers and request a VIN search of theirinventory for that vehicle. In addition, detectives do on-site inspections and checkbusiness records for reported thefts. Many vehicles are tracked using this method.Some are recovered, however, a number of vehicles are destroyed before theregistered owner is aware their vehicle is missing. Nevertheless, this strategy regularlyprovides the documentation necessary to identify the stolen vehicle and arrest theindividuals who sell them for scrap.During the latter half of 2009, several older vehicles were stolen from railroadstation and shopping center parking lots on the south shore of Suffolk County. VehicleTheft Section detectives examined the records of area scrap processors anddismantlers and learned several vehicles were subsequently sold by the perpetrators atthese facilities. Detectives conducted stakeouts at several junkyard locations andsubsequently apprehended two individuals as they tried to scrap another stolen vehicle.They were charged with the theft of 21 vehicles and the falsification of records tofacilitate the stolen vehicle sales.Vehicle Theft Section detectives commenced an initiative to ascertain vehicledismantler compliance with state and local laws mandating the collection of the propervehicle documents and personal identification from individuals scrapping vehicles.Utilizing undercover vehicles from the state Insurance Frauds Bureau and scrapvehicles and scrap catalytic converters, Vehicle Theft Section detectives conducted anundercover sting operation and subsequently charged several licensed and unlicensedscrap processing and auto wrecking facilities with accepting vehicles and vehicle partswith no proof of ownership and “no questions asked.” This effort was accomplished withthe assistance of state DMV investigators. One local auto wrecking facility, which hadbeen cited for multiple violations, ceased operations soon afterward.Vehicle Theft section detectives and state DMV investigators concluded a longtermjoint investigation of a vehicle dismantler/scrap processor that was operatingwithout a license. The facility operator was arrested and a search warrant was executedNYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 49