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Police program deters car thefts, may reduce insurance rates
Residents on Monday will have an opportunity to protect their vehicles by adding two features to their cars that are designed to deter auto thieves.
Not only could these features save a person from the anguish of having a car stolen, they may reduce the insurance premium on the vehicle.
The features, a window decal and a "VIN" vehicle identification number etching, are offered through the Watch Your Car Program, a free service administered through the Cheektowaga Police Crime Resistance Unit.
The window decal program allows the police to stop a vehicle if it is on the road between 1-5 a.m. The VIN etching program consists of an acidetching of the vehicle identification number into the windows.
Lieutenant Mark Petruniak said that both programs are effective in deterring vehicle thefts.
The window stickers are tamperresistant and highly reflective, alerting a police officer that the vehicle is not normally operated during overnight hours.
According to the New York State Division of Criminal Services Web site, many auto thefts occur during the early morning hours when the vehicle's owner is asleep.
"In many instances, a stolen car can be driven to a 'chop shop' or across state lines before the owner awakens to discover the theft," the Web site states.
The Web site explains that VINetching deters "chop shop" operators and criminal auto resale rings who do not want to deal with etched windows because they make the car unsalable or limit the sections of the car that can be removed for reuse.
"It makes it an undesirable part because of its identification," Petruniak added. "For purpose of resale or disassembly, it gives that unscrupulous person the thought that he could get caught if the number is observed."
The Crime Resistance Unit will host its next Watch Your Car Program on August 28, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cleveland Hill Fire Department, 440 Cleveland Drive, just east of Harlem Road. Participants are asked to enter from Merrymont Drive.
Participants must provide a valid drivers license, a valid insurance card and a valid vehicle registration, with the owner or spouse present.
According to Petruniak, the process takes about 15 minutes to complete.
Cheektowaga is one of 85 police agencies in New York State that operates a Watch Your Car Program.
A 1997 grant from the United States Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to the state's Division of Criminal Justice Services allowed statewide implementation.
The program is sponsored by the New York State Motor Vehicle Theft and Insurance Fraud Prevention Board.
The program also helps reduce the cost of motor vehicle insurance premiums for New York State residents. New York State law provides for insurance premium discounts ranging between two to five percent when owners etch VINs upon their vehicles.
Petruniak said that his unit tries to conduct the program once monthly during warm weather.
"We might start in April, May for sure, and end it in October or November, depending on how the weather is," Petruniak said.
Noting that the service is free and can help reduce insurance costs, Petruniak encourages as many residents as possible to participate.
Typically the program is offered at the Cleveland Hill, Rescue and Bellevue fire halls. The unit uses area fire halls because the buildings provide easy vehicle access; a driver can pull into a "bay" from the rear and exit through the front.
Persons with questions may call the Crime Resistance Unit at (716) 897-7293.
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