MOTOR-CAR THIEVES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3119, 25 June 1917, Page 7

MOTOR-CAR THIEVES

WHAT HAPPENS IN NEW YORK 40 PER CENT; NEVER RECOVERED Of the l:irge number of cars stolen every year in New York city, ouly (!0 or .70 per cont._ aro recovered. The praotico of.etealin? automobiles has beconio (so common, says tho New. York "Evening Post," that some action must bo taken to aid the polico in recovering last machines. Just what the action should bo will have to be determined by tho methods used by tho miscreants in covering their traces. According to J. D. Porter, of the. ICing Car Corporation, tho polico departments imd detectives aTo not keeping pace wjth those who havo a/stuaily commercialised tho stealing of cars. To illustrate* what is meant, consider tho method used by tho thievrs in one of tho largo cities, whero automobilestealing, has been going on -very extonflivoly. Just outeido the Jimito of this city a house was burned dowh, Tho barn, however, waa left standing, "but, had been abandoned by tbo owner. It stood in a" rather low spot near a wood, and, consequently, was not consplijaous to pass-ors-by. By some means, tho auto thieves had gained possession of this barn, and had entirely, refittod the inside so that aa auto could be completely changed as far as any ordinary identification marks were concerned. Tho outward ftppearanca was left unchanged to avoid suspicion or possible inspection. ,Tho men employed here were experts in their line. When, a stolen, car was "brought in. identification numbers -were either taken off with' hammer and chi6el, or melted off by tbo acetylene process, and novr-nkm-born of the "sanio size put on in* their, places. Lamps.were changed; top, windshield, speedometer, and. all extra equipment such as bumpers, extra tyres, Ghocfc absorbers, and go on, wero removed; the paint was taken off, and the entire car made ■& different colour. Then tho car waa taken to the city to bo sold, and, there wa3 little chaace of its being idon-' hfied by the owner or aoiy one else.

■ Changing Identity of Cars, In another of our lajgo cities them was a very similar means of changing the identity of stolen care. But in most cases the cars were- completely disassembled and the parts were sold separately. This means of procedure was a little more complicated, but far more remunerative, olso they .would not have taken the extra trouble. But the most brazen method of all is that used by the automobile stealing "syndicate. And by the way, the fact that a syndicate of this nature is allowed, to esiot and become wealthy, shows without further comment the critical need of immediate action of helping the police departments and detective agencies bo thiey may become better equipped for such an overwhelmin" problem. To go t-ii t« the method mentioned above: the syndicate sends agents around to tho various dealers of secondhand cars to keep-in touch with the kind of cars wanted by tho customers. Say one dealer doesn't happen to have one, but says that ho will look out for one. Then along comes the syndicate's agent, inquiring as to what care the dealer is in need of. Ho has j ust had a call for a 191G model.jand would liko to get one for'his customer. So tho agent' tells him he has just what he wants, and will bring it around. Ho then goes to the head of tho syndicate and reports the order for tho nbovemontioned car. The chief issues orders at once to go and get that car. So a couple of, men, or perhaps three men and women got into a car owned by the syndicate, and bearing a private license, and drivo around until they locate a model car they are after. They follow it until its owner drives up to a curb and disappears inside of a building. Then one of their number gets out, steps into the man's car, aad drives away. Tho rest drive their machine into the vacated space, and then go into a store near by and wait for tho. owner of the stolen car to appear. When he comes they come out and got into their machine. Naturally ho asks them if they had seen his car standing thero when they drove up. Of course they ."had not." Their game was to keep him in conversation as lone as possible, so as to give the thief plenty of time to get away before the police were notified. Then they would suggest to the man that inasmuch ae that space was vacant whon they drove up, perhaps some one had stolen his car, and he had better report the theft to the Police Department. He "thinks them, and never suspects that they are the thieves of his car. By the time the police have his report, the stolen car is safely undergoing tho necessary changes to escape identity.. It is then taken to the dealer wanting the car and sold. Now, just how is tho Police Department to be aided in recovering lost or stolon cars whon it is going on in such a wholesale manner P Ihera aro numerous locking devices in the market to-day, devices for checking the flow of gasolene to the carbureter; devices for of gasolene to the carburettor; devices for locking tlio control levers, etc.; yet nono of these is sufficient to keep tho thiuvca from working nround them. Therefore somo other means must l>6 employed. 1

Detailed Identification. Detailed identiiicatioa offers a possibility. By this is meant identification of every part of the car. Every motor car manufacturer lias a system of marking the various parts that enter into tho assembly of his car. Usually a 6yetcni of numbors is used, and ovory part has its number. If trio po'lico and dotectivee could bo taught motor-cur design bo Unit they might become familiar with tho places whoro the identification numbers may bo found on tho various parts of different maken of cara, n hurried examination of a buspeefced ear might reTeal its identity, ovon though the car had mulecgont) ,% cornpleto tva.nts[orm;itioii as described aTiove, because in neatly overy case of such a transformation thorn would bo most likely ono or more of tho manufacturer , .-) aumbera tlijit would bo overlooked in renumbering or. that would simply l>o painted over. Ono eucli number would ecno as sufficiont identification to return tlio car (o ilo owner.