Pickup Tailgate Theft On The Rise In Tulsa

Tulsa Police are investigating a rash of stolen tailgates. Several happened in south Tulsa and other happened near LaFortune Park. <br/><br/>News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fulbright looks at this crime

Thursday, January 4th 2007, 2:58 pm

By: News On 6

Tulsa Police are investigating a rash of stolen tailgates. Several happened in south Tulsa and other happened near LaFortune Park.

News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fulbright looks at this crime trend.

Back in the 80's, thieves took hood ornaments off Mercedes, then in the 90's, they moved on to stealing airbags and reselling those. The latest rage on the East Coast is to steal the halogen headlights from higher end cars, but in Tulsa, the target is tailgates.

Dennis hauls around paints and supplies in his truck for his job. His truck was parked in his drive-way last week, backed in toward the garage, when somebody stole his tailgate. Just replacing it with a used one is expensive. "The tailgate was $488 and painting it is $300. Right now, I have it at the paint shop."

Thieves have long known stealing tailgates is easy, no tools required and quick, most can be removed in less than 30 seconds and quiet, it doesn't set off car alarms. A truck's tailgate is often the first thing to be damaged in an accident or everyday use and a new one can cost a thousand dollars at a dealership. That creates a healthy market for thieves to help themselves, sell to less reputable places who resell them to honest people needing a new gate.

Many of the newer models have locks so you can't simply lift up and remove it. They make aftermarket locks for the older models. "The fact somebody would stoop so low as to steal a tailgate."

Another man had just bought a used tailgate to put on his '78 Chevy and hadn't even put it on yet, when someone stole it, out the back of his truck, which was parked next to his house. They also took his back window and tried to get his windshield. "Everything I own, I worked for and too many people don't have a better way and think stealing is acceptable."

This is not a new crime, a Google search of tailgate thefts, turned up 350,000 hits. But it's certainly been more of a problem in the Tulsa area since summer and it's not concentrated to just one part of town.

If you have a lock, use it, if not, think about adding one, the News on 6 found some online for around $20.