New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

at best, with arrests usually limited to those made as a result of the initiative of individualpolice officers on patrol and in follow-up investigations. The creation and subsequentexpansion of the District Attorney’s Auto Crimes Unit, a full-time investigative andprosecutorial unit consisting of two assistant district attorneys and two police investigators,filled that void.Aggressive investigation and prosecution by the Westchester County AutoCrimes Unit has made a difference. Since its creation in 1998, auto theft has beenreduced in Westchester County by nearly 80 percent between 1997 (4,130 thefts) and2009 (853 thefts). In fact, the number of thefts has dropped significantly every yearsince the inception of the unit.In the wake of the City of Yonkers having a rash of motorcycles stolen (46 in2008 and 29 from January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009), the ACU teamed up with theYonkers Police Department to conduct an investigation into determining who wasresponsible for the thefts. As part of that investigation, two individuals were arrested forselling three high-end stolen motorcycles, one on each of three occasions, to theundercover ACU investigator. Both defendants have recently pled guilty to criminalpossession of stolen property in the third degree and are awaiting sentencing. Anotherinvestigation into motorcycle theft led to the arrest of an individual for attempting to steala motorcycle in the City of Yonkers; that case is pending.Additionally, in 2008 and continued in 2009, the unit aggressively pursued aninvestigation concerning five fictitious accidents involving the same BMW and a similarpattern of accidents with a second BMW. In each instance, fictitious accidents wereclaimed with damage in excess of $15,000. Six individuals were arrested and chargedwith insurance fraud felonies. Although the majority of the defendants resided inQueens County, they utilized a Mount Vernon auto body shop to facilitate theirfraudulent claims. Two of those individuals pleaded guilty to felony insurance fraud andthe remaining four individuals pleaded guilty to misdemeanor insurance fraud. TheACU is presently conducting three significant investigations into auto-related insurancefraud.The Auto Crimes Unit continued to focus on the southern portions of WestchesterCounty, which still accounts for the majority of the county's automobile theft. The AutoCrimes Unit initiated several joint investigations and operations with the New York StatePolice, the New York City Police Department's Auto Crimes Unit, and the YonkersPolice Department. Many of these investigations are continuing and progress in theseoperations will be reported in the coming year.In 2009, the Auto Crimes Unit obtained a license plate reader (LPR). In supportand in coordination with local law enforcement, the Auto Crimes Unit has beenconducting LPR operations concentrating on neighborhoods with the greatest incidenceof motor vehicle theft.The Auto Crimes Unit is also trains police officers from throughout the county andthe state. The unit annually conducts a day-long training conference at the WestchesterCounty Police Academy, featuring experts from a number of agencies lecturing andNYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 51