Thomas: Valley crime, immigration sweeps lowers auto thefts
Reported by: Brent Roulier
Email: broulier@abc15.com
Last Update: 4/19 3:56 pm

Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas held a press conference Sunday to announce a significant decline in auto thefts in the Valley.

Thomas attributed this to the fight against both crime and illegal immigration.

A Maricopa County Attorney's Office press release stated, "Newly released figures from the National Insurance Crime Bureau show that from 2006 to 2008, the Phoenix area fell from having the 4th highest ranking in the nation for auto theft to 19th in the nation."

According to the report, the number of auto thefts per 100,000 people dropped 36 percent, from 979 in 2006 to 602 in 2008.

Vehicle thefts have fallen 46 percent since 2004, according to the report.

In 2006, Thomas formed an Auto Theft Bureau in his office, which has prosecuted more than 3,000 defendants with a conviction rate averaging 90 percent.

Thomas said that this, combined with the efforts of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to crack down on illegal immigration, can be directly attributed to the sharp drop in Valley auto thefts.

"Law enforcement can be proud of the stunning decrease in auto thefts we've achieved," said Thomas. "In other border states, this success has been elusive. The link between crime and illegal immigration cannot be ignored. Progress is possible if we take a two-pronged approach to combating these two related problems."


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