New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

More documents

Recommendations

Info

where defendants seek specific parts for re-sale, such as catalytic converters thatcontain valuable titanium.One increase of crime noted in this area stems from online criminal activity wherea defendant poses as the seller of a car part product and does not deliver said productafter receiving payment, or offers repairs of auto parts that are sent along with payment.The victim then finds that the item is not returned to them and the money has alreadybeen obtained by the defendant.As continuing from previous reporting years, Albany County District Attorney’sOffice is uniquely positioned to conduct investigations and prosecute methods of autotheft based upon Albany County having jurisdiction over every crime which involvesfiling paperwork with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, and many investigationswere opened in 2009 that focused on the alteration, production, sale and possession ofillegal documents such as titles, registrations and insurance cards. The unit continues towork with investigators from all agencies, including DMV, in investigating andprosecuting these types of scams: counterfeit/altered title, title washing, fraudulentmanufacturer’s certificate of origin, identity theft, fraudulent license/insurancecards/inspection stickers, and use of internet/computers.Strategies ImplementedIn addition to opportunistic and targeted crime, there can be other factors thatlead to the detection of crimes involving vehicles. As noted in the tracking of trendsover 2009, the activity that alerts police agencies to offenders does not always stemfrom criminal activity involving a vehicle, but can result in motor vehicle theft orinsurance fraud arrests and investigations. Conversely, motor vehicle theft detectioncan also lead to the discovery of other criminal activity. It is important to consider all ofthese factors when implementing strategies to combat motor vehicle and insurancecrime.The unit has continued to reach out to every law enforcement agency in thecounty to conduct training/information sessions for local law enforcement in issuesrelating to both motor vehicle theft and motor vehicle insurance fraud. Formalmeetings/training sessions were conducted throughout 2009. In 2009, investigationmeetings and conferences often included:• initial case review and/or grand jury, hearing and trial preparation on new arrestsand pending cases;• regular meetings connected to ongoing open investigations in particular cases;• training and education on various trends and methods of auto-related insurancefraud and auto theft matters;• meetings held to address a particular trend or a particular defendant or group ofdefendants; andNYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 80
• meetings held to inform agencies of an ongoing investigation and to requestassistance and/or information in support of a particular investigation or pendingmatters.These meetings and evaluations resulted in important sharing of information andreview of implemented policies and practices. One such practice is the success of the“hot sheet” that is printed out at roll call and given to officers to be on the lookout forstolen vehicles. Another success discussed at these review meetings is the continueduse of license plate readers that allow for officers to search DMV and police agencydatabases on passing cars in routine traffic. Currently the Albany Police Department,the Albany County Sherriff’s Department and the State Police use them in their patrolvehicles.Albany County Office of the District AttorneyPerformance Measures Total Performance Measures TotalMVT / MVIT cases opened 143 Warrants issued / subpoenas executed 3MVT / MVIF indictments 20 Type of sentences:MVT / MVIF felony pleas 23 Local jail 6MVT / MVIT misdemeanor pleas 1 State prison 15Confidential informants 2 Probation 1Victim conferences 7 Case conferences* 157* Case conferences includes meeting with: local law enforcement, NYS DMV, loss prevention officersfrom car rental companies, NYS IFB, judges and defense attorneys.Schenectady County Office of the District AttorneyThe Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office Motor Vehicle Theft andInsurance Fraud Crimes Unit is administered and prosecuted by an assistant districtattorney, who specializes in the investigation and prosecution of motor vehicle theft andinsurance fraud cases, working in collaboration with local law enforcement agencies toassist in investigations to improve the rate of motor vehicle theft and insurance fraudapprehension. The primary goals of the unit are to further enhance the prosecution ofmotor vehicle theft and insurance fraud-related cases, and to continue improving thearrest rate for these crimes.In 2009, case data continues to suggest that the majority of motor vehicle theftsin Schenectady County are unauthorized use crimes arising from domestic or “cracklease” situations and transportation for theft and joyriding, as opposed to crimes oforganized theft for profit.According to DCJS statistics as of August 2009, Schenectady County has thehighest Index Crime rate per capita in New York State. A large majority of the motorvehicle theft cases in Schenectady are directly linked to the city’s high volume of drugactivity. In 2009, the unit focused on the investigation of many cases that came in as“crack leases”: a common case will involve a vehicle that is taken by a family member ofthe victim, and leased out for drugs. Actually proving that the driver (at time of arrest)NYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 81
Page 4 and 5:
Table of ContentsPageI. Introductio
Page 6 and 7:
All of the tasks outlined above are
Page 8 and 9:
addition, officers representing 16
Page 10 and 11:
1000Motor Vehicle Theft Rate/100K P
Page 12 and 13:
The Division of Criminal JusticeSer
Page 14 and 15:
These crimes add an estimated 10% t
Page 16 and 17:
per 100,000), Richmond County (111.
Page 18 and 19:
2. Methods for combating the proble
Page 20 and 21:
SUMMARY OF BOARD ACTIVITY ON Septem
Page 22 and 23:
DCJS StaffRon DickensVal Friedlande
Page 24 and 25:
Western Region AgenciesAmountApplic
Page 26 and 27:
VI. 2009 Grant Program Descriptions
Page 28 and 29:
According to the New York City Poli
Page 30 and 31:
in 2009, an enterprise corruption i
Page 32 and 33:
corporation that defrauded the city
Page 34 and 35: In the area of insurance fraud, muc
Page 36 and 37: Despite warnings and public service
Page 38 and 39: Patrol Borough Manhattan North repo
Page 40 and 41: confines of Brooklyn South and the
Page 42 and 43: ecovered with seats, doors, and oth
Page 44 and 45: Borough Queens North are evidenced
Page 46 and 47: FAIS STRATEGIES• Use confidential
Page 48 and 49: motor vehicle insurance fraud are d
Page 50 and 51: investigation and utilized all reso
Page 52 and 53: the help of funding received from o
Page 54 and 55: with investigators from both agenci
Page 56 and 57: offering hands-on demonstrations re
Page 58 and 59: Western RegionBuffalo City Police D
Page 60 and 61: agencies with similar investigation
Page 62 and 63: PD, National Insurance Crime Bureau
Page 64 and 65: Another case that was recently indi
Page 66 and 67: complainant; this is now happening
Page 68 and 69: Niagara Falls City Police Departmen
Page 70 and 71: motor vehicles are assigned to this
Page 72 and 73: The District Attorney’s Office sp
Page 74 and 75: scene; younger suspects would use t
Page 76 and 77: One theft for transportation invest
Page 78 and 79: Rochester Police DepartmentPerforma
Page 80 and 81: Both agencies are continuing the in
Page 82 and 83: November 2009 - A targeted patrol o
Page 86 and 87: had knowledge that the car was stol
Page 88 and 89: Reported Incidents of Motor Vehicle
Page 90 and 91: Incidence of Motor Vehicle Thefts:
Page 92 and 93: REPORTED MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS: 2008
Page 94 and 95: Motor Vehicle Thefts Rates per Popu
Page 96 and 97: Motor Vehicle Thefts Rates per Regi
Page 98 and 99: Motor Vehicle Insurance Fraud Suspe
Page 100: MVIF 2009 Rate per Population2009Ra
show all

New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?