News and Events

  1. December 5, 2019

    AZ Auto Theft Authority kicks off campaign to end vehicle crimes during holidays

    Jason Barry

    Posted 16 hrs ago

    Preventing A Holiday Break-In

    GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Car thieves are on the prowl this time of year, preying on unsuspecting holiday shoppers. Edy Sanchez of Glendale, recently had his car broken into in his gated community.

    "Yes, I get upset because I work really hard for my stuff, and for somebody else to take it away from me, I don't think it's fair," said Sanchez. Vehicle crime is a serious problem across the Valley and it may get worse.

    Year after year, the number of car break-ins and auto thefts increases around the holidays. James McGuffin is the executive director of the Arizona Auto Theft Authority. He said that one of the reasons they see a spike in incidents is because drivers aren't taking enough precautions.

     

    https://www.azfamily.com/video/how-car-thieves-are-targeting-you-this-holiday-season/video_053454c5-1883-52b6-a97a-9c1f9d8f0e34.html

  2. June 6, 2019

    Randi Marie Hartjen/ Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office - News 4 Tucson KVOA.com

    TUCSON – A grand jury indicted a Tucson woman for stealing identities to purchase and rent vehicles, according to Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office.

    Randi Marie Hartjen stole the identities of 6 Phoenix-area women and ordered duplicate driver’s licenses, according to the AG.

    Hartjen used the licenses to buy or rent a 2018 Nissan Sentra, 2018 Jaguar F-Pace, 2016 Cadillac ATS, 2017 Lincoln MLC, 2019 Buick Enclave and a 2014 GMC Acadia Denali, according to the AG.

    All but the Lincoln MLC have been recovered by law enforcement, according to the AG.

    The charges include Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, Theft of Means of Transportation, Forgery, Aggravated Taking the Identity of Another and Taking the Identity of Another.

    The Auto Theft Task Force, Tucson Police Department, Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Special Investigations Section of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office all worked together on the investigation.

    Read the entire story click on the link below. 

    https://kvoa.com/news/local-news/2019/06/05/tucson-woman-charged-with-stealing-identities-to-buy-vehicles/

  3. May 1, 2019

    TUCSON, AZ (KOLD News 13) - According to a state police report, there were 18,262 cars stolen in Arizona during 2017. Among those, some cars are more heavily targeted.

    The Arizona Automobile Theft Authority listed the most-stolen cars in Arizona, determined by car theft numbers submitted by law enforcement for 2017.

    For more of the story click here.

  4. March 8, 2019

    Mohave Valley Daily News 

    Grand theft auto prevention

    Bullhead City police Cpl. Sean Watson presses a decal onto a windshield Thursday afternoon during a vehicle theft prevention and awareness event. Drivers could get the Vehicle Identification Numbers of their cars etched into all the glass, which reduces i

    BULLHEAD CITY — George Staten decided not to give would-be car thieves the slightest reason to target him.

    Staten had the Vehicle Identification Number of his car etched into its windows at a previous event hosted by the Bullhead City Police Department.

    A rock hit the windshield, so he was back Thursday, when the BCPD and the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority again offered the no-cost service.

    VIN etching makes it easy to identify the vehicle from which a piece of glass comes, thus making the glass less valuable to thieves.

    Read the entire story click on the link below. 

    http://www.mohavedailynews.com/news/grand-theft-auto-prevention/article_17848bf4-416c-11e9-8a0a-47627a22abc5.html

  5. November 26, 2018

    Auto theft, Break-ins go up during the holidays, authorities say

  6. September 26, 2018

    Still Image from Sonoran Living

  7. September 20, 2018

    ABC 15 

    It's a program that has been around for decades, but with trends showing an increase in the number of car thefts and break-ins throughout Arizona, the state's Auto Theft Authority is hoping to bring it back to the forefront.

    Fred Zumbo, the executive director of the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority said the program had been very popular when it first started in the 90's.

    Here is how it works. If you are enrolled in the "watch your car" program, law enforcement can stop your car if it is seen out on the streets between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. without any other reason.....link

  8. September 20, 2018

    Lake Powell Life News- 

    The Watch Your Car decal program is a free, voluntary program whereby Arizona vehicle owners enroll their vehicles with the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority. The vehicle is then entered into the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) database; participants receive decals for their front and rear windows. By displaying the decals, vehicle owners convey to law enforcement officials that their vehicle is not usually driven between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, when the majority of auto thefts occur.

    article

  9. September 16, 2018

    12 News

    The Arizona Automobile Theft Authority says it’s reviving an anti-theft program that has been dormant for years.

    “It’s theft prevention. It’s a deterrent,” said the authority’s director Fred Zumbo.

    The program is called “Watch Your Car.” Arizona residents can register their vehicle with the authority, which allows police to pull over their vehicle if it’s operating between the hours of 1 and 5 AM. Or, within one mile of the Mexican border.

    article

  10. August 15, 2018

    Sonoran Living Preview of an AATA Ad- "It only took One stolen vehicle - feature a thieve with feet bound by handcuffs, drugs, guns, and vehicle accident.