NCJ Number
126744
Date Published
Unknown
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper summarizes data from the Wisconsin Statistical Analysis Center on motor vehicle theft offenses in the State based on data collected through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program. It covers issues including geographic location of offenses, comparison of Wisconsin motor vehicle thefts with Midwest and national trends, and demographic information.
Abstract
The findings show that the southwest part of Wisconsin and Vilas County had the highest rate of motor vehicle thefts; Vilas County, where there was a high number of snowmobile thefts, was the exception to the rule that population density and number of reported thefts are strongly related. Wisconsin's motor vehicle theft rate is well below that of the Midwest and the nation as a whole, although it has increased over the past five years. State law enforcement agencies have been relatively able to clear offenses with arrests, although the arrests have not kept pace with the number of reported offenses. Nearly half of Wisconsin thefts are committed by juveniles age 16 or younger. White adults and juvenile made up nearly 60 percent of the arrests, and blacks made up 39 percent of the arrests; nearly all blacks were arrested in Milwaukee. The data show that 75 percent of all thefts take place in Milwaukee, that auto thefts have increased while thefts of other types of vehicles have remained fairly steady, and that the percent of motor vehicle value recovered has decreased over the past 5 years. 3 tables and 7 graphs