Auto theft at 6-year high

Drug trafficking and a rash of juvenile joy riding have increased car thefts in the District, raising the city’s auto-theft statistics to the highest level in six years, Metropolitan Police say.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, 9,168 auto thefts were reported in the District last year, compared with 7,970 in 2001.

“Anyone that’s involved with car theft is likely to be on the fringes of other criminal activity,” said Detective Daniel Straub, head of the D.C. auto theft unit. “I’m seeing over this time, the subjects I arrested as juveniles are now professional, for-profit criminals.”

D.C. auto thefts reached a 10-year high in 1995, then decreased through 1998.

However, restless teenage thieves and the flagging economy increased the thefts from 1999 through last year. The number of thefts in 2003 is not yet available.

And the drug trade is often the root of bigger problems.

While patrolling the 6th District for stolen cars Thursday, Officer Ralph Sampson saw a man leave a black Isuzu to join a group of apparent drug dealers.

Officer Sampson checked the car’s license plate and found it was recently stolen in Prince George’s County. He called for backup, and when another officer arrived the chase began.

The officers eventually caught the suspect, but not before a bag of suspected cocaine fell from his pocket.

“Lot of crack,” Officer Sampson said as he picked up the bag.

The officers estimated that about 15 grams were in the bag, more than is common for personal use. They also found a bag full of dollar bills stuffed in the suspect’s pants.

Officer Sampson, who worked in the District’s narcotics division before joining the auto theft unit, said such an arrest was typical in that suspected car thieves are often arrested while holding drugs.

The only thing perhaps more typical is seeing the joy riding or drug-dealing car thieves right back on the streets.

“It’s hard, man,” Officer Sampson said. “We catch ‘em, we lock ‘em up. Especially if they’re juveniles, they’ll just be right back out, man.”

Story Continues →