NCJ Number
235113
Date Published
2009
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This 2008 Annual Report of the Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Council describes the Council's achievements and challenges over the past year in enhancing the partnership of public and private sectors in countering vehicle theft in Illinois.
Abstract
Grant funds awarded by the Council have improved motor vehicle theft law enforcement by establishing and providing ongoing support for multijurisdictional task forces, investigative teams, and other anti-theft efforts throughout the State. Over the past 17 years, these efforts have resulted in the initiation of 29,940 criminal investigations, 50,776 audits of vehicle-related businesses, 12,203 violation letters issued to audited businesses, 14,435 arrests, 5,809 convictions, and 33,167 stolen vehicles recovered valued at $233 million. The annual vehicle theft rate in Illinois decreased approximately 59 percent between 1991 and 2007. The number of vehicle-theft offenses in 2007 was reported for each county. Seventy-five percent of the vehicles stolen in Illinois in 2007 were recovered; the average number of days between theft and recovery was 16. In 2007, there were 6,566 arrests for vehicle theft in the State. The most recent data available, fiscal year 2004, indicate the average sentence length for the 1,090 offenders committed to the Illinois Department of Corrections for vehicle thefts was 4.5 years. Since 1992, when grants were first awarded by the Council, the Council has funded 30 vehicle-theft programs in the State. The majority of funds have gone to law enforcement programs that increase investigations and prosecutions of crimes related to vehicle theft. In 2008, the Council funded 12 programs. Each of the programs is briefly described. The 2008 financial statement for the Council is also presented. Extensive tables and figures