Everything Starts with a Vehicle: How Auto Crime Drives Criminal Investigations

Mention “Auto Crime” and the first thing that comes to mind is stolen vehicles. Most federal, state, and local law enforcement keep records on stolen vehicles. Factors as theft location, date and time of theft, year, make and model of vehicle are all recorded. The statical information is then used to identify crime trends. Once a trend is identified, strategies can be developed and resources allocated to reduce crime.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation collects and complies crime data under the “Uniformed Crime Report” (UCR) program. The data collected is used to measure the overall crime rate in a particular area. The overall crime rate is based on tracking eight “index crimes”. These are murder, rape, robbery, assault, arson and motor vehicle theft. These crimes are considered serious and are used to track crime trends. Auto theft joins this list based on the volume and frequency of the crime. At its peak, in 1990, NYC alone had over 146,000 stolen vehicles- a number that has been trending downward since.

The average price of a new vehicle is currently around $48,400; this exceeds the price of a kilo of cocaine at approximately $29,000-$39,000. Auto theft is frequently a component of organized crime and terrorism as monies obtain in the stolen car market now exceed drugs. More money and easier to move and sell, auto theft is big business.

After a thirty-nine-year career with the New York City Police Department, with thirty of those years in the Auto Crime Unit, I realized “Auto Crime” encompasses nearly every crime. The fact reminds that auto theft is important, but based on FBI data, motor vehicles are used in 75% of all crimes whether stolen or not. The majority of criminals are caught either going to or leaving a crime. From a minor violation to a homicide, in most cases some type of a vehicle is involved. I have worked countless cases where the vehicle was the key evidence to solving the case. The identification of the vehicle basically solved the case. Recently, Bryan Kohberger plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho Students. His vehicle became key evidence linking Kohberger to the murder and his guilty plea. The 1993 World Trade Center bombing, vehicle identification number of vehicle used, linking to identification of terrorist. Oklahoma City bombing, Timothy McVeigh, stopped for vehicle violation leaving scene. Times Square attempted bombing, confidential Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) recovered from altered VIN vehicle containing bomb. Serial killer Joel Rifkin stopped for vehicle violation with deceased victim in vehicle, David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) fire hydrant summons at scene of murder, Lieby Kletzky, eight-year-old boy, walking home from school for the first time, kidnapped and murdered, photo identification of vehicle leads to perpetrator and victim. These cases and countless more were all solved due to the vehicle involved.

Everything really does start with a motor vehicle.

Sources:

Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Crime in the United States 1990: Motor Vehicle Theft.” Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Accessed July 11, 2025.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Uniform Crime Reporting Program: Offense Definitions.” U.S. Department of Justice. Accessed July 11, 2025.

National Insurance Crime Bureau. “Hot Wheels: America’s Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles.” NICB, 2024.

New York Police Department. “Auto Crime Division: Historical Overview.” NYPD, 2023.

Statista. “Average Price of New Vehicles Sold in the United States from 2019 to 2024.” Accessed July 11, 2025.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. “Transnational Organized Crime: The Global Vehicle Theft Market.” UNODC, 2023.

United States Sentencing Commission. “Bryan Kohberger Sentencing Information.” USSC, 2024.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. “2023 National Drug Threat Assessment.” DEA, 2024.