Police chiefs tout regional approach to combating motor vehicle thefts
A collaboration between area police departments has led to the recovery of 84 stolen vehicles over a two-month period, with 11 of those recovered while being used in the commission of another crime.
Newtown Chief James Viadero shared the statistic in a gathering Wednesday with the police chiefs from Bridgeport, Fairfield, Westport, Monroe, Trumbull and Stratford at the Newtown Police Department in which they touted the achievements of Operation Wingspan, a $5 million collaboration between the city, the suburban towns and the FBI.
And if it seems like vehicle thefts are happening more and more often, part of the reason is that the same technology that makes driving a modern car more convenient also makes it easier to steal. “It’s a crime of opportunity,” said Rebeca Garcia, Bridgeport’s acting police chief.
Viadero said the operation began Sept. 22 and continued through seven targeted enforcement phases between then and Nov. 19, with each phase lasting between three and five days.
Since the operation began, Viadero said, the combined departments have arrested 38 adults and seven juveniles. In making the arrests and recoveries, officers also seized 12 guns, in addition to five incidents where police recovered narcotics.
In addition, at least one of the guns was subsequently traced to a shooting, according to Monroe Chief John Salvatore.
“We’re very happy with the results,” Viadero said. “We’ve seen a direct impact, although we’d like to see a zero (vehicle thefts).”
The operation used state funds, which run out at the end of the year. “We’re looking to see if the state is interested in extending the funding,” Viadero said.
The other chiefs are also lobbying their respective state legislators to extend the funding and citing the operation’s success rate, he said.
Salvatore said the operation had succeeded beyond his expectations. “It’s been surprisingly satisfying,” he said.
According to Garcia, the task force operates out of the Bridgeport Police Department’s Fusion Center. Opened in 2018, the center operates round the clock, monitoring about 1,200 cameras around the city. Between one and three officers from each of the suburban departments, combined with about 10 city officers, pool their information.
“They put their feelers out and with our LPR (license plate readers) will be able to detect if that car has gone into their city,” Garcia said. “So, they will get the information that a vehicle was stolen, and if something pings our LPRs, they will go to that location.”
None of the suburban towns have the level of LPR coverage that Bridgeport does, though the other chiefs confirmed their departments use a mix of fixed and mobile cameras.
By converging on the location of the stolen car, Stratford Chief Joseph McNeil said the officers are able to intervene and prevent other crimes.
“A lot of times, they’re stealing and dumping (vehicles),” he said. “So this operation actually helps stop other crimes. They steal, dump, then come back. We’ve actually arrested one person who was coming back to get from one stolen car to another.”
Viadero said the numbers show the operation has had an effect. According to police reports, the first two enforcement periods, Sept. 22-24 and Sept. 27-Oct. 1 saw 16 and 18 stolen vehicles reported, respectively. The departments’ combined efforts resulted in the recovery of 14 and 16 cars during those two periods, respectively. Two months later, there were just six stolen vehicles reported from Nov. 15-19, and all six were recovered.
“The knowledge is getting out there that we will find you,” McNeil said. “And that’s a deterrent.”
Trumbull Chief Michael Lombardo agreed.
“We’re seeing a deterrent effect with the crimes being solved,” he said. “A very high percentage of cars are being recovered.”
But why had vehicle thefts become so common in the first place? According to Viadero, the departments are using technology like LPRs and real-time cameras to battle a problem partially caused by vehicle technology.
“Almost every vehicle today operates with a fob,” Viadero said. “And we understand it’s easy to just leave it in the car, then get in and press the button and start it up.”
But potential car thieves, typically driving cars that they already stole somewhere else, can take advantage of that convenience feature, he said.
“They’ll go around, try the door handle and see what lights up,” he said.
If the dashboard lights up, indicating that the owner had left the key fob in the vehicle, then simply pressing the starter button will start the car and the thieves can drive away. If the door is locked, or the fob is not in the car, the potential thief simply moves on to the next driveway. Either way, the entire process takes just a few seconds.