Grand Theft Auto - Vehicle Stealing on a 'Higher' Level

Car theft occurs just about everywhere but do you know where they most occur and what the chances are of ever retrieving your vehicle? Find out too if your car is a 'hot brand' that actually attracts car thieves.

Grand theft auto is also called motor vehicle theft. The term “grand theft” refers to the value of the property taken, which distinguishes it from the “petty theft” of smaller amounts. This limit varies across states: some have it at $200, some at $500. 

Since vehicles generally cost more than these amounts, grand theft auto applies to cars, trucks, trailers, buses, and other motorized vehicles permitted on public roads. Although the term may apply to motorcycles and even snowmobiles, motor vehicle theft under US law doesn’t apply to bulldozers, boats, aircraft, or motorized wheelchairs.

After experiencing a steady decline since 1992, grand theft auto cases leveled off following 2000. However, the yearly number of vehicles reported stolen after 2000 still reaches way above the 1 million mark. 

In 2004, for example, 1.23 million vehicles were reported stolen. In fact, car insurance companies report that the car theft rate in the US today is 1 car every 25 seconds!

Where are car owners usually victimized? According to FBI statistics:

• At least 35% are stolen from outside the owner’s home.
• Around 20% from a parking garage or lot.
• About 20% from a road or alley (usually the victim just stopped for something to eat or to use the toilet).

The car recovery rate is 65%, while the arrest rate for perpetrators of grand theft auto is only 20%. Of late, the most popular makes with car thieves were Honda (Civic, Accord), Toyota (Camry, etc.), Dodge Caravan, and the Chevrolet Full-size pickup. 

Grand Theft Auto - Recent Incidents

Notorious Georgia car thief Everett Tripodis, a habitual violator of grand theft auto laws, was slapped with a five-year prison sentence in May 2007, plus supervised released for three years after he gets out. 

First convicted in 2001, Tripodis went back to his criminal activities just five months after his release. He added a twist to his pet crime by using the Internet to collect vehicle ID numbers and descriptions.

Tripodis would make others apply for duplicate titles of cars that actually remained unsold on a dealer’s lot. The state DMVs (Georgia, Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee) would then mail the titles to mailboxes set up by the gang and Tripodis would use the titles on the stolen cars.

Grand Theft Auto - Types & Penalties

Carjacking may be referred to a subtype of grand theft auto in some areas. The term is used when the stolen vehicle’s owner remains in the vehicle when it’s stolen. Some states, however, don’t use this subtype and simply use “grand theft auto” no matter who’s in the car at the time of theft.

As seen in the Tripodis case mentioned above, the punishment for grand theft auto isn’t that harsh, even for repeat offenders. Harsher punishments are often meted out in cases compounded by more serious crimes, such as grand theft auto with assault and battery or carjacking and murder.

However, a growing number of states are implementing the three-strikes-you’re-out rule for grand theft auto as well as burglary, petty fraud, and minor substance abuse crimes. California, for instance, metes out life sentences for criminals with two prior felonies who are found guilty of a third.

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