Merced County officers lauded for recovery of stolen cars

Eleven law enforcement officers from around Merced County were recognized on Wednesday for their work to recover stolen cars.

The Merced-area California Highway Patrol office and AAA have a relationship that goes back about 40 years, officials said, and they award officers for arresting suspected car thieves and returning vehicles to their owners.

Called the “10851 Pin,” the award is given to officers from any agency who meet one of a few different goals within a year: six separate arrests of people driving stolen vehicles; recovery of a dozen cars (at least three must include arrests); or gathering of information that results in uncovering an auto theft ring, which includes the arrest of at least two suspects and recovery of at least 10 cars.

In California, a car is stolen every three minutes on average, according to numbers from the CHP. There were 398 cars stolen in the unincorporated areas of Merced County last year, CHP officers said, and 362 were recovered.

So far this year, 103 of the 108 stolen vehicles have been recovered in the same part of the county.

David White, a AAA insurance claims manager, was on hand to present the awards and thank the officers. “Auto theft is really not a victimless crime,” he said.

Each stolen car on average costs an insurance company about $3,000, he said, compared to the $10,000 it costs for a car that’s never recovered. Those costs cause a car owner’s insurance rates to rise. White noted that some owners who don’t get their car back may have to take on new car payments.

Tony Corroo, a retired claims manger, said the theft of a car also adds stress to the lives of the owners. He said he’s been a victim, and watched from inside his home as a thief drove off with his car.

“When your car leaves the driveway … your mind goes into, ‘What’s going to go on?’ ” he said.

Getting a stolen car back is a “huge sigh of relief,” he said.

Officers were awarded certificates along with the pins. A few received “master level” awards, which mean they hit the yearly goal five times.

The 11 Merced County officers who received awards this year came from Atwater, Los Banos and Merced police departments, as well as those from the Merced County Sheriff’s Office and Merced-area CHP.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Merced County officers lauded for recovery of stolen cars."