The vast majority of Ohio motorists are law-abiding people who drive to get to work, shop, go to their kid’s soccer games, or any number of other events and places without thinking twice about the dangers they could face on the roads every day.

For those of us in law enforcement it is comforting to know that those drivers, who represent the majority, are obeying traffic laws and making driving safety a priority. It helps us focus on protecting you and your families from the criminal element on our roads, and in our communities.

In that light, vehicle theft reduction has always been a priority for Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers. Last year, state troopers made a significant impact in the area of vehicle theft recovery and criminal apprehensions.

State troopers in 2007 recovered 763 abandoned stolen vehicles. In addition, state troopers recovered 514 stolen vehicles that resulted in the arrest of 560 criminals. Twenty-six of those state troopers had at least five cases in which they recovered the stolen vehicle and made at least one criminal arrest associated with the case. The total value of stolen vehicles recovered last year by state troopers exceeded 3.6 million dollars.

Law enforcement officers are keenly aware that criminals who steal vehicles frequently use those vehicles to carry out other crimes. For this reason, the Patrol has a dedicated program to auto theft recovery committed to the recovery of stolen vehicles and protection of Ohio roadways.

As a Patrol commander, it is my responsibility to continue encouraging troopers to excel at auto larceny enforcement. As part of our LifeStat 24/7 Initiative, operationally we are also utilizing effective professional traffic enforcement to apprehend criminals that utilize Ohio roads.

Similar to our increased ability to identify high crash areas more effectively, we are using some new and exciting methods and technologies to assist troopers in their vehicle theft efforts. The introduction of location-based information, hi-tech geographic pin-mapping, and regularly published crime bulletin trend reports are assisting every state trooper in aggressively pursuing areas of increased illegal activity – including vehicle theft. You can also see all those materials on our Web site, www.statepatrol.ohio.gov.

You see, according to the FBI, vehicle theft is the second most profitable crime in the United States, surpassed only by the illegal narcotics trade. The ongoing efforts of state troopers continue to be a driving force in the overall reduction of auto theft and are having a significant impact on related crimes across the state.

Vehicle theft is a crime that dramatically affects innocent people. We are there for you to protect you from the criminals.