HPD cracks down on Ford truck thefts

11:35 AM CST on Friday, November 23, 2007

By Jeff McShan / 11 News



Jeff McShan's 11 News report HPD’s Auto Theft Division has been taking an aggressive approach trying to slow down thefts of Ford Trucks.

Why?

A whopping 239 of them were stolen in September alone, and if you go back five months prior that number jumps to more than 1200.

Compare that with 801 Chevy trucks and 778 Dodge trucks, and the difference is obvious.

So HPD has been tracking thieves using bait vehicles equipped with GPS systems, kill switches and cameras.

The bait vehicles -- Ford trucks – were left with their keys in the ignition.

And it works – police said one particular truck was stolen twice in the same day.

With all the technology inside the vehicles, the bad guys never had a chance.

As soon as the thief gets in the car and starts it, a silent alarm is sent to the Auto Theft Division.

Within minutes, they are able to locate and surround the suspects.

Police say some of the thieves take the license plates off the trucks and replace them with paper tags.

Many suspects in the latest round of arrests claimed they didn’t speak English, and some didn’t have proper ID.

But even if the suspects are uncooperative, hidden cameras help determine who did the deed.

Auto theft investigators from across the state recently met in South Texas to compare notes and share success stories.

Investigators said they believe some of the trucks are being stolen and taken across the border into Mexico
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