SPOKANE, Wash. – When it comes to car theft, Spokane consistently ranks among the worst cities in the nation. During the month of October, 193 cars were stolen. That’s an average of seven per day.
In January, the Spokane Police Department started the Vehicle Theft Task Force. A dozen officers and detectives were assigned to the division with the goal of reducing the number of stolen cars in Spokane. Since the Vehicle Task Force started 511 arrest have been made.
The Spokane Police Department said it’s often dealing with repeat offenders, “We’ve seen some offenders we’ve gotten confessions from that they’ve stolen 10, 20, 30 vehicles,” said SPD Chief Craig Meidl.
Since it began 35 people have been arrested at least twice by the Vehicle Theft Task Force.
As the task force prepares for its second year 2 On Your Side learned Chief Meidl plans to add more people to the division.
Police said one-fifth of all stolen car cases involve people leaving their keys in the car or leaving their car unattended.