Tulsa Detectives Reveal Car Thieves Hot Targets

Tulsa car thieves love to steal Chevrolet and Ford pick up trucks. Of course, more people in northeastern Oklahoma own trucks than on the east or west coasts, but Tulsa police detectives say citizens

Wednesday, March 8th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa car thieves love to steal Chevrolet and Ford pick up trucks. Of course, more people in northeastern Oklahoma own trucks than on the east or west coasts, but Tulsa police detectives say citizens here make it much easier for thieves. "People will leave a set of keys in the console or the glove box or above the visor," said Tulsa police sergeant Jeff Cealka. "That makes it too easy."

Tulsa's top ten list makes and models of stolen vehicles include Chevrolet and Ford trucks, Olds Cutlass, GMC trucks, Chevy Caprice, Camaro, Monte Carlo, Dodge trucks, and Olds Delta. The last one on the list is a tie between the Buick Regal and Honda Accord. Police detectives say foreign cars are rarely stolen in Tulsa.

Alarm systems, kill switches or the club make your car a harder target. "It's like your home," said Cealka. "Protect it. Make it a hard target." Detectives say they recover 70 per cent of all stolen cars. The other 30 per cent that are never recovered go to chop shops or are renumbered and sold to unsuspecting buyers. "We had a video made of a thief stealing a car," Cealka said. "It took 30 seconds." "In August, we saw a video of someone stealing a Harley Davidson and it took 8 seconds."

Motorcycles are always hot targets for thieves in the spring and summer. Tulsa averages about 60 stolen cars every week. The main reason why that number is so high is due to the fact that people leave their key in the ignition. Even if you just plan to stop for a moment, take the keys with you. One Tulsa man left his car running to put air in his front tire. Before he could finish, a thief jumped in and took off, leaving him holding the air hose.

Memorize your tag number. Detectives say that helps them find your car faster.