A scene playing out many times per day: a stolen Hyundai is recovered in Renton Highlands with body damage, wrecked ignition, broken glass and crime-related tools and debris inside.

Renton Police have released their March crime report, and auto thefts have jumped to a staggering new high.  147 cars were stolen in March in Renton, about five per day.  Each one is another sad story that brings misery and often financial hardship to it’s heartbroken owner.  People are having a hard time getting wrecked cars repaired with auto shops all working at max capacity and parts on backorder. Motorists are even having difficulties getting rental cars right now, and  the extra demand from car theft victims is a factor.

Renton Police and most Renton elected officials have been asking the state to restore some authority for pursuing car thieves.  The state legislature appears to be moving forward with a small improvement to the police pursuit law, but the revisions will still not allow police to pursue stolen vehicles unless the police have evidence of certain violent crimes related to the car’s occupants.  Stolen vehicles continue to be a primary tool for conducting property crime since they can’t be chased, making them just the ticket for any thief to make a clean getaway.

The report shows other types of theft dropping, but unfortunately much of this is likely a result of people giving up on reporting.  For instance, the vast majority of shoplifting cases are now going unreported.  Shoplifting used to account for a large percentage of theft cases.  Car thefts reports are among the most reliable. When a car gets stolen, the owner needs a police report to collect insurance and clear themselves of liability, so car thefts get reported.  But when a lawnmower, power saw, or kids bicycle gets stolen, and they cost less than the deductible on an insurance policy, many increasingly-disheartened residents think reporting the loss is no longer worth their time.

A police forensic specialist dusts for prints and gathers other evidence from a stolen car, but the odds are low that the thief will be found after the car has been abandoned.