Auto Theft Task Force
Introduction
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The Metro East Auto Theft Task Force serves Madison and St. Clair counties. The counties are located in the southwest region of Illinois, and lie adjacent to St. Louis, Missouri. The area covers a total of 1,389 square miles. The region features both large population centers and vast rural spaces. Both Madison and St. Clair counties are among Illinois’s 36 urban counties. According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Madison County had a 2007 population of 267,347 and St. Clair County had a 2007 population of 261,316.[1] Thus, in 2007, the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force served a total population of approximately 528,663. There were approximately 515,115 vehicles registered in the Metro East area in 2007, according to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office.[2]In this report, data from both of the counties are analyzed together, and statistics are reported for the area covered by the program as a whole. The data are based on the Illinois Uniform Crime Reports as well as monthly data reports submitted to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority by the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force.
Motor Vehicle Theft in the Metro East Area
According to the Illinois State Police, the number of motor vehicle thefts reported in the area covered by the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force decreased 8 percent between 1992 and 2007, from 2,077 thefts to 1,902 thefts. Motor vehicle thefts decreased 54 percent statewide during the same period. Between 2000 and 2007, motor vehicle thefts in the Metro East area decreased 4 percent, from 1,990 to 1,902. The 1,902 motor vehicle thefts reported in the Metro East area in 2007 accounted for almost 6 percent of the 34,280 auto thefts reported across Illinois.
Between 1992 and 2007, the Metro East area’s population increased 3 percent. The motor vehicle theft rate in the region decreased 11 percent during this time frame, while the statewide motor vehicle theft rate decreased 58 percent, from 631 to 267 offenses per 100,000 population. In 2007, there were 360 motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 population in the Metro East area, compared to a statewide rate of 267 offenses per 100,000 population. Between 2000 and 2007, the motor vehicle theft rate decreased 7 percent, from 386 to 360.
Data reports from the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force describe several vehicle theft problems in the area. The main focus of task force officers is the identification and arrest of street gang members that operate in the area. Task force officers believe that most gang members steal cars for transportation or to facilitate other crimes such as drive-by shootings and transportation of drugs or firearms. The task force also encounters cases of insurance fraud, chop shops, re-tagging operations, and false vehicle theft reporting.
The task force has also established partnerships with law enforcement agencies in St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding metropolitan area. This coordination and joint effort helps all of the participating agencies target street gangs that continually cross between Illinois and Missouri.
During 2001, eight Metro Link Train Stations were built in the Metro East area. The existence of these stations has created more challenges for the task force. These stations have increased opportunities for gang members to travel between various areas and cities. The trains provide these individuals with an easy method of access into areas in the Metro East area. The task force reported an increase in local gangs crossing state boundaries to commit vehicle theft.
Program Summary
The Metro East Auto Theft Task Force combats auto theft in Madison and St. Clair counties by combining the expertise and resources of multiple law enforcement agencies. Operating since 1992, the task force links the efforts of the Illinois State Police, the sheriff’s offices of Madison and St. Clair counties, the Illinois Secretary of State Police, and the police departments of Belleville, Cahokia, Collinsville, East St. Louis, Fairview Heights, and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The task force’s multi-jurisdictional, cooperative approach maximizes its ability to investigate and prosecute auto theft throughout the area. The services of the task force are available to all law enforcement agencies within Madison and St. Clair counties.
The Metro East Auto Theft Task Force has a total of sixteen personnel. The task force consists of ten full-time police officers, a part-time East St. Louis officer, two assistant state’s attorneys, a grant administrator, a fiscal officer, and an administrative assistant. The task force operates out of the Belleville Police Department.
Program Activity
Between September 1992 and December 2008, the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force has conducted 9,113 self-initiated and assisted investigations, resulting in 3,749 arrests and 1,329 convictions. Between January 2000 and December 2008, the task force conducted 5,080 investigations, resulting in 2,360 arrests and 803 convictions. In 2008, the task force conducted 440 investigations (317 initiated and 123 assisted investigations), resulting in 200 arrests and 54 convictions. Figure 2 shows the number of motor vehicle theft investigations, arrests, and convictions for each program year.
From August 1992 thru December 2008, the task force has recovered 5,410 vehicles worth an estimated $41 million. Between January 2000 and December 2008, 3,251 vehicles were recovered worth more than $25 million. Figure 3 shows the number of vehicle recoveries made by the task force for each year.
Figure 2
*Beginning in 2001, Investigations were recorded as either Initiated (by the unit) or Assisted (assists to other agencies) Investigations. These yearly totals represent the combination of both.
Figure 3
Funding Summary
The Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act that took effect on January 1, 1991 created the Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Council. The Council has the statutory responsibility to “prevent, combat, and reduce motor vehicle theft in Illinois.”
The Act established the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Trust Fund, a special trust fund in the State Treasury, from which the Council makes grants to eligible applicants for programs that address the problem of motor vehicle theft in Illinois. The Act requires all insurance companies licensed to write private passenger motor vehicle physical damage coverage in Illinois to pay annually into this trust fund an amount equal to $1 for each earned car year of exposure for physical damage insurance coverage during the previous calendar year. About $6 million is collected each year.
The Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Trust Fund funds the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force. Table 1 lists the amounts granted to and expended by the task force for each program year.
Table 1
Metro East Auto Theft Task Force
Funding by Program Year
| Year | Grant Amount | Expenditures | Lapse |
| 1993 | $509,296 | $458,691 | $50,605 |
| 1994 | $717,593 | $639,180 | $78,413 |
| 1995 | $693,750 | $621,016 | $72,734 |
| 1996 | $569,120 | $565,769 | $3,351 |
| 1997 | $594,571 | $578,462 | $16,109 |
| 1998 | $597,403 | $584,261 | $13,142 |
| 1999 | $594,477 | $565,746 | $28,731 |
| 2000 | $589,172 | $562,693 | $26,479 |
| 2001 | $589,172 | $597,598 | -$8,426 |
| 2002 | $613,172 | $580,769 | $32,403 |
| 2003 | $589,172 | $603,548 | -$14,376 |
| 2004 | $619,176 | $603,548 | $15,628 |
| 2005 | $619,176 | $616,482 | $2,694 |
| 2006 | $691,940 | $683,817 | $8,123 |
| 2007 | $673,218 | $657,219 | $15,999 |
| 2008 | $699,978 | $677,299 | $22,679 |
| TOTAL | $9,960,386 | $9,596,099 | $364,287 |
Note: Unexpended grants funds are returned to the Council.
Figure 4 summarizes the task force’s expenditures from 1992 through 2008. Expenditures are divided into six categories:
Personnel—includes salaries, social security, and fringe benefits for program staff.
Equipment—includes computers, communication devices, and other equipment with a cost greater than $50.
Commodities—includes consumable supplies (such as office supplies) and equipment costing less than $50.
Travel—includes lodging, food, and transportation expenses incurred by program staff while conducting official program-related business.
Contractual—includes facility costs, utilities, telephone service, equipment rentals, and wages for hourly personnel.
Other—includes any costs not covered by the above categories.
Figure 4
*Due to rounding, the category percentages may not total 100 percent
Conclusion
Between 1992 and 2007 motor vehicle thefts in the Metro East area decreased 8 percent, from 2,077 to 1,902. Between 2000 and 2007, motor vehicle thefts decreased from 1,990 to 1,902, or 4 percent.
Data on the value of stolen vehicles are not available at the state or county level;[3] however, the FBI estimates that the average value of a vehicle stolen in the United States in 2007, the most recent data available, was $6,755.[4] Based on this value, the increase of 120 auto thefts in the Metro East area between 2006 and 2007, from 1,782 to 1,902, amounts to a ‘loss’ of more than $810,000.00.
In 2007, the task force received a total of $699,978 in funding from the Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Trust Fund, and has recovered an estimate of $2,125,098 in stolen vehicles, cargo, and parts. Combining the recovery value ($2,125,098) with the loss from increased auto theft ($810,600), the task force has produced a $1,314,498 ‘return’ on its $699,978 in funding, a ‘return rate’ of $1.88 for every $1 of funding in 2007.
[1] United States Bureau of the Census, 2009
[2] State of Illinois, Office of the Secretary of State. 2007. County Statistical Report for Motor Vehicle License Units and Transactions.
[3] The task force reports the total estimated value of all the vehicles that it recovers each month. However, this includes only cases handled by the task force, not all vehicle thefts within the Metro East area.
[4] This is the most recent estimate available. Crime in the United States – 2007: Uniform Crime Reports. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2008.
