EVERETT — The Snohomish County Auto Theft Task Force hopes the Benjamin Franklin adage “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” still holds true in modern times.
They’re equipping sheriff’s deputies and Marysville patrol officers with 250 club locks for cars to hand out to people they believe could use some extra protection, including those who have had their vehicles stolen and recovered.
The clubs are part of a grant the local agency received from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority.
Much of the task force’s mission is to investigate crime. Getting to do something that might save people some anguish, and officers some time, is appealing, said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Jason Knott, who is a member of the county’s auto theft task force.
“We want to be proactive and prevent it from occurring,” Knott said. “No one needs to have their car stolen.”
The task force is mindful that some cars are more frequent targets than others. In 2013, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reports the Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Chevrolet pickup, Ford Pickup and Toyota Camry topped the list of stolen vehicles.
In many cases, the models most taken were built in the 1990s and early 2000 before extra anti-theft protections were included.
Despite their age, many of those cars are still on the road.
“It’s like you would think they are gone,” Knott said. “The problem is a lot of times these cars are inexpensive and they are reliable but often people with fixed incomes who can least afford to have them stolen have them stolen.”
Knott said the task force hopes to measure the effectiveness of distributing the clubs and, perhaps, expand the program.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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