City Loans Officer to Car Theft Unit

Because auto thefts generally account for the highest dollar loss of any crimes in the city, officials have agreed to assign a police officer to the Orange County Auto Theft Team.

Police Chief William Lentini said the team was established about three years ago as a “countywide effort to stem the tide of auto thefts and carjackings.”

Several cities lend officers to the team for stints of about two years, he said. The task force, which has a dozen members, works closely with a special prosecutor from the district attorney’s office.

Though the group focuses on vehicle thefts in Orange County, its work often takes officers to other areas to crack down on thievery rings and “chop shops,” Lentini said.

He said he has not yet chosen the officer who will join the team. It will be someone who has “considerable proficiency and expertise in the area,” he said.

The Police Department will use a state grant to fill the position that will become vacant when the officer is assigned to the team, he said.

Brea’s regional mall is an inviting target for car thieves, Lentini said, so he hopes to make good use of the team’s services.

Through September this year, 97 cars were stolen in Brea.

Their total value was nearly $600,000, officers estimated.