Law Dispatcher

A stolen vehicle is a felony offense and as such careful consideration needs to be taken when reporting such. The way a stolen vehicle is reported can result in someone being pulled over and hauled out of a vehicle at gun point or it could be as simple as the LEO calling and notifying the owner that their vehicle has been spotted. Let me explain. If your vehicle is gone and you have no idea where it could be or who could have taken it, you have the right to file a stolen vehicle report. As such, a APB (all points bulletin) or a BOLO (be on the lookout for) will be issued containing the vehicle description, tag number, VIN number, possible suspect and description of them, where the vehicle was last seen and the approximate time the vehicle was taken. Should a LEO spot this vehicle or do a traffic stop and run the tag, this vehicle should come up listed as stolen. If the LEO hasn’t already done a traffic stop, they will attempt to do so. Once the vehicle has been stopped, the driver of the vehicle will be pulled from the vehicle and thrown to the ground at gun point. They will be charged with the offense and spend some time in jail.

If however, you think you might just know who has taken your vehicle, it may be better for you to do an ATL (attempt to locate) on your vehicle. This type of reporting is usually done when the vehicle is taken by a family member or friend and the complainant does not wish for the driver to be held at gun point. Many parents will use this type of reporting when their child has taken their vehicle so as to avoid dragging the situation thru the courts and encountering costs and further humiliation.

It is important that you KNOW for sure that your vehicle has been stolen. You will be asked the for the following information when you call to report it: What is the make, model and year of the vehicle, the color, number of doors, tag number, VIN number (if known. This information will be on the title of the vehicle so have that ready for the officer when they come to take the report.) who could have possibly taken the vehicle, was it a repossession, any weapons in the vehicle and when was the vehicle last seen.

As a side note, please do not call when you see a tow truck back up and take your vehicle. It’s most likely that you haven’t paid your auto loan and they have come to repossess the vehicle or else the loan processing center has not yet received and processed your last payment. Call your loaning agency and work out the details thru them.

On rare occasions, you may witness your vehicle being stolen. This IS a 911 emergency. Stay calm and answer the operators questions. Make sure you state that the incident is in progress. Note the description of the subject and the direction that they are leaving in. Also, make note of any weapons seen on the subject or any left in the vehicle and exactly what kind of weapon. After terminating the phone call to 911, stay put and wait for the officer to respond to you.

Recently, an acquaintance of mine was killed because of an attempted theft of his vehicle. It is thought that he may have put up a fight with the would-be thief. The end result…approximately 20 bullets to the head and chest area. Thankfully, he was prepared to die because just a few years prior, he had accepted Christ as his personal Savior and was a great influence on his peers, bringing many of them to Christ also. His death was not in vain causing many to profess Christ after his death. However, I can’t help but wonder what would of happen if he had not refused to give up his vehicle. Would he still be alive? We will never know. The true irony of this situation is that he had just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. Consequently, the subject and his mother were arrested. The incident was drug related unfortunately.

Stolen vehicles have the potential to become a deadly incident. Do NOT try to stop it on your own. Call 911 immediately if it is in progress. If it is not, please call the non-emergency number to your local law enforcement agency.