Merced ranked in the top 10 worst cities in nation for car thefts

Merced County has the seventh highest rate of car theft in the nation, according to a nonprofit that tracks insurance data.

The data shows 1,622 cars were stolen in Merced County in 2016, a rate of 660 per 100,000 residents, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s “Hot Spots” report. Albuquerque, N.M., topped the list at 1,114 cars stolen per capita, according to numbers released this month.

Merced, which ranked 21st last year, is one of six metropolitan areas in California that landed on the top ten list. Bakersfield (No. 3, 854), Modesto (No. 4, 767) and Riverside (No. 5, 679) all topped Merced in thefts per 100,000 residents, while San Francisco (No. 8, 640) and Fresno (No. 9, 631) trailed it.

The Los Angeles area saw the most thefts at 60,670, but has a much larger population to balance out its rate when compared to central San Joaquin Valley towns.

Most cars are stolen and sold whole or in parts in an organized effort, according to Merced police Lt. Jay Struble, who oversees the Operations Division, which includes auto theft and other crimes.

“There’s got to be a black market for them,” he said. “They’re not going to steal it if they can’t get money for something.”

Nationally, the number of cars stolen in 2016 was about 7 percent greater than the previous year, but theft is down from its peak, the nonprofit said. Thefts were at an all-time high in 1991 with more than 1.6 million reported thefts. The count fell by 57 percent between the peak and 2015, according to the nonprofit.

“While the final result for 2016 is expected to be higher than 2015’s number, the vehicle theft environment across the country is vastly improved from the 1990s,” the nonprofit said in a news release.

Cars made by Honda and Acura have traditionally been the most often stolen cars in Merced, Struble said. More recently the thieves have expanded to Ford trucks, and cars made by Lexus or Mitsubishi, to name a few.

Beyond simple efforts like locking the doors and removing the car keys, the NCIB recommends car owners step up theft provision efforts. There are an array of audible alarms and locks on the market.

Struble said drivers are often more likely to leave the keys in the car during cold months. He went on to say home burglars are known to break into homes, find keys in plain view and steal the car sitting in the driveway.

Owners should consider further protection, like kill switches and “smart keys,” according to the Des Plaines, Ill.-based nonprofit. The organization funded by insurers uses law enforcement and U.S. census data to compile its annual “Hot Spots” report.

The nonprofit also recommends installing a tracking device, which allows an owner to find a stolen vehicle with their home computer.

Any prevention effort is a good idea, Struble said. “It’s definitely a step up and a deterrent,” he said. “It makes your vehicle harder to steal than the next one.”

This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 6:55 PM with the headline "Merced ranked in the top 10 worst cities in nation for car thefts."