"In Genesee County, Flint has the biggest problem with stolen cars: More than 1,563 cars were reported stolen in 2004, 265 more than in the previous year. Still, that's down 23 percent from the 2,020 vehicles stolen in 1998. "

What they failed to show. Was that from 1998 until 2003, Auto theft was down as much as 36 percent! Not just the 23 percent they claimed in the article. They did that to spin it so as not to show that Car theft in the City is actually going up! 20 percent! Since 2003!!

What I do not understand is what motivates the Flint Journal to spin numbers? What is their mindset or political motivation that gives them the idea in the first place to ignore half the truth or publish only half the truth.

Wrong turn

Area thefts spike while state numbers fall

BURTON

THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION

Sunday, July 02, 2006

By Bryn Mickle

bmickle@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6383

BURTON - Marcy Kimball figured no one would want her car.

A 1984 Pontiac 6000 wasn't exactly near the top of a thief's most-wanted list, right?

Wrong.

Kimball, 43, learned the hard way last Halloween that no one is immune from auto theft. A thief punched the steering column on Kimball's unlocked car and stole it from the parking lot of a Belsay Road grocery store.

The car was found two days later behind a Flint Township motel with $400 damage and $600 worth of Christmas presents missing from the trunk.

"Now, I'm always looking to see if my car is still there," said Kimball, who is still driving the Pontiac.

Area car thefts are down overall from 1998-2004, but they shot up 15 percent from 2003-04, despite an overall 6 percent decline statewide that year. 2004 is the most recent year for which figures are available.

That year, 2,677 cars were reported stolen in the county, according to the Automotive Theft Prevention Authority.

What's that mean for insurance?

"One year won't impact rates," said Lori Conarton, spokeswoman for the Lansing-based Insurance Institute of Michigan.

But don't celebrate yet: A Flint Journal analysis of state insurance rates shows premiums keep going up even when car theft numbers drop.

Car theft in Michigan declined 31 percent between 1986 and 2004, while insurance premiums have steadily risen.

The average statewide comprehensive premium - the part of a car insurance policy that covers theft and arson - went up from $105 in 1991 to $176 in 2003, according to the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents.

Industry experts say numerous factors are used to determine premiums.

State and local officials are at a loss to explain why auto theft went up in 2004 while traditional problem areas like Detroit continued to see a decline in stolen cars.

In Genesee County, Flint has the biggest problem with stolen cars: More than 1,563 cars were reported stolen in 2004, 265 more than in the previous year. Still, that's down 23 percent from the 2,020 vehicles stolen in 1998.

Burton had 158 car thefts in 2004, and the numbers aren't getting any better. There were 157 cars stolen in Burton last year and already there have been nearly 100 stolen this year.

But acts other than true thefts could be skewing the numbers.

One investigator blames "crack rides," in which owners trade their cars for drugs like crack cocaine, then file a false police report claiming theft.

"There are a tremendous amount of those," said Genesee County Sheriff's Lt. Randy Smith, who heads the Genesee Auto Theft Investigation Network.

Investigators also have noticed a trend of staging car thefts to get out of auto leases.

Smith said Flint police are now watching closely for signs of insurance fraud.

Other factors could be an organized group of thieves that might have targeted Genesee County for a period then moved on.

The one-year jump in car thefts does not have the state agency that funds GAIN reaching for the panic button.

"One year is a spike," said Valdis A. Vitols, executive director of the Automobile Theft Prevention Authority, who noted that car thefts in Flint had been on a four-year decline until 2004.

A single car thief may steal 50 cars in a month, or an area could be plagued by a gang of thieves looking for auto parts to sell, said Vitols.

It doesn't help that car thieves usually get away with it.

Nationally, only 13 percent of all auto thefts are cleared with an arrest, said Gary Mitchell, spokesman for the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents.

"It may not be a violent crime, but it's an expensive one," said Mitchell.

Still, car theft rates aren't the main culprit for steep insurance bills.

Accident rates, age of

the driver and how many miles the car is driven each have a bigger impact than theft rates when it comes to the size of a premium, experts say.

Genesee County Prosecutor David S. Leyton would like to see local car theft numbers resume a downward trend. He said his grandfather's car was stolen once.

"It's a horrible feeling to walk outside and find your car gone," Leyton said.

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