Maryland Insurance

If Lieut. Allen Tharling joined the Houston Police Department’s division of rape 16 years, young people have been racket in stealing cars and trucks in collection gunpoint.

“In those days, we did not call Carjacking,” said the lieutenant. “We called rape. Not much has changed except the name.” But he added: “Now there are over him, and the suspect is aged.”

This year, the act of stealing a vehicle by violence or threat obtained created new names. The nocturnal emissions are now sprinkled with stories about Carjacking, USA Automobile Association, tips, how to ensure that victims of police and Carjacking departments have established Anti-Carjacking “Task Forces”.

The federal government, even in the action. In October, with a pistol to steal a car from a federal crime, under penalty of 15 years in prison if someone harm. Allure growing

The criminal prosecution authorities agree that more motorists are facing thieves, once rather have a vehicle that has been vacant. The reasons, say the authorities and other experts on crime, including force of attraction for young offenders of the recent flood of advertising on Carjacking and car alarm systems sophisticated, traditional car theft more hard.

But Carjacking is a very small percentage of automatically theft or theft armed, the two categories of crime that most services of the police sub-list. It is much more common in cities than in the suburbs. And the vast majority of carjackings, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation, nor cause injury or death. Indeed, the Bureau says it appears a car theft victims is even more when his car was stolen gunpoint, as when it was stolen through the usual channels.

“We have seen that very few murders,” said Howard Apple, the head of the FBI’s Interstate Theft Unit. Normally, he said, “carjackers are not to harm humans. They want the car and money, like most thieves.”

Some notorious cases occurred in the suburbs, but motorists and have lost their lives, and suddenly it seemed an entirely new type of crime was vague in his hand.

“That man is afraid a lot on Carjacking,” said Lawrence W. Sherman, a professor of criminology at the University of Maryland, “is the fact that his car as a soap bubble of security. The idea that it safe to go farther to your car as a huge shock. The truth is, there is always a bit risky. We know, Bonnie and Clyde to carjack.

Carjacking Harte figures are difficult to obtain. Based on the statistics of fragmentation of local police, FBI, according to estimates, about 19000 were carjackings across the country last year, about 1.1 percent of 1.7 million vehicles stolen in a whole.

Carjacking The figures are often estimates that, given that most services of the police does not have a separate category for the crime.

“We do not once say” Carjacking, ‘ “said Billy Davis, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.” It is theft and it is already long overdue. There are a lot of Hype is now on right side. ”

So far this year, based on local and even less recognition, statistics, the FBI said at least 21000 carjackings were reported.

At the same time, reports on Carjacking in the first six months of this year have been or are stayed last year levels in several major cities, including New York, Detroit and Houston. Greg Tanski, a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, an industry group, combating vehicle theft and insurance fraud, said carjackings “as the type of brush fire.”

“The problem inflame some, the resources of the police and fire inside,” said Tanski. “Then he turns elsewhere. Criminals are learning and to do so, the police.” Anecdotal information

The figures are, in general, are not available for years before 1990, and an increase in the long term, which means now Carjacking is difficult to document. But many experts believe that crime became more frequent.

It is not clear whether Carjacking is more violent than other types of rape, violence or sooner. Much of the information is anecdotal and on the basis of impressions.