DATE: December 27, 2018
INCIDENT TYPE: Stolen Auto Prevention - Weather
OFFICER SUBMITTING RELEASE: Auto Burglary & Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) - Grant Funded - Panhandle Auto Burglary and Theft Unit
DETAILS: Winter weather is here once again and will be here this weekend also. Motorists are urged not to give criminals the opportunity to steal their vehicles.
So far for 2018, there have been 939 stolen automobiles in Amarillo with 819 having the keys in the vehicle and or left running. Stolen auto could be reduced by 87% if everyone would take their keys out of the vehicle and by not leaving their vehicles running unattended.
When it gets cold outside people start their vehicles to warm up and usually leave them unattended, thieves take advantage of this. Vehicles started and left unattended to warm up are the easiest vehicles to steal.
It only takes a few seconds to become a victim of a stolen automobile.
Texas Transportation Code 545.404
5(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), an operator may not leave a vehicle unattended without:
(1) Stopping the engine;
(2) Locking the ignition;
(3) Removing the key from the ignition;
(4) Setting the parking brake effectively; and
(5) If standing on a grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway.
(b) The requirements of Subsections (a)(1), (2), and (3) do not apply to an operator who starts the engine of a vehicle by using a remote starter or other similar device that:
(1) Remotely starts the vehicle's engine without placing the key in the ignition; and
(2) Requires the key to be placed in the ignition or physically present in the vehicle before the vehicle can be operated.
Offense is a Class C misdemeanor
