NCJ Number
147429
Date Published
1993
Length
43 pages
Annotation
The problem of motor vehicle theft in Florida was investigated, with focus on the State's 10 most populated counties.
Abstract
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement gathered information from their own databases, and obtained 1,857 copies of original incident reports from law enforcement agencies. Additionally, DHSMV took questionnaire responses from 242 police departments, 48 sheriff's offices, and 15 State attorney's offices. In 1992, Florida ranked fourth in the Nation in the number of reported motor vehicle thefts. The State's record high total of 105,553 represented a 300-percent increase since 1971. The cost to vehicle owners for repairs and replacement was more than $500 million. Data are broken down by region, method of theft, demographics of offenders, and types of vehicles stolen. Sixty-six law enforcement agencies have sworn officers assigned specifically to motor vehicle theft investigations. The effectiveness of legislative acts is discussed, as are motives for motor vehicle thieves, and the prosecutorial priorities of State attorneys. Charts, graphs, figures