While I was working on Sunday’s series of stories pertaining to car theft in Kitsap County, I phoned Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which works with both law enforcement and insurance companies to help thwart thieves.
Frank informed me that the “west is best” for car theft, and that while auto theft is down nationally, the 11 western states — particularly California — were up for thefts.
He also told me that his agency was on the verge of releasing new data on the “hot spots” of where thieves strike most.
Their new research was released this week. Two of the top 10 spots are here — No. 6, consisting of Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue, and No. 10, Yakima — helping to elevate Washington to its status as No. 4 in the nation overall for car thefts reported.
The top 10 “hot spots” as reported by the NICB were:
1. Modesto, CA
2. Las Vegas/Paradise, NV
3. Stockton, CA
4. Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, AZ
5. Visalia/Porterville, CA
6. Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, WA
7. Sacramento/Arden-Arcade/Roseville, CA
8. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA
9. Fresno, CA
10. Yakima, WA
To read the Kitsap Sun’s series, click here.
