Car Thefts Down In 2013

Vehicle theft. It's a huge problem in the city of Yakima. But police are seeing a 27 percent decrease in auto theft so far this year when compared to 2012.

Capt. Rod Light says so far this year the city has seen 401 stolen vehicles compared to 552 last year at this time. Light says the department works hard to focus on auto theft and any decrease is seen as a good sign. He says the department crime analyst is helping to nail car thieves. “She’s able to pin down the most popular areas where cars are stolen and where cars are dumped. And that really helps in our investigations”

Light says he's looking forward to the city purchasing 74 police cars in October. He believes a larger police presence will help cut down the number of auto thefts in the city.