2021-018 - Approving The Submission of an Application to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority

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6/22/2021 MVCPA Taskforce Grant Applica.. The program coverage area consist of (9) counites Bowie, Red River, Lamar, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, Hopkins , Delta , and Titus. There is a combined est. population of 475,060( per 2019UCR). The coverage area mainly consist of rural areas, but does have a few larger cities such as Texarkana, Sherman, Greenville, Sulphur Springs, Mount Pleasant, and Paris. There were a total of 721 motor vehicle thefts reported in 2019 ( UCR) and 823 reported in 2020(UCR). That is an approximate 14% increase in the number of auto thefts. NICB reported as of 2019 Texarkana is ranked #152 and Sherman is ranked #197 in the nation for auto thefts. These numbers do not include trailer thefts, ATV thefts, farm equipment, and water craft thefts. These type thefts are problematic in these areas due to the geographical area. The Items stolen are commonly transported to Oklahoma to avoid detection because of the lack of state registration requirements in Oklahoma. Trailer thefts are prevalent in the program area due to the amount of rural farm land , and the false sense of security by the residents. ATVs, farm equipment, and trailers are often recovered with the public identification number removed. It is necessary to have qualified investigators with the ability and knowledge to identify those items to get them recovered for the citizens. It is also necessary to have qualified investigators with the ability and knowledge to identify burned and dismantled vehicles to help counter insurance fraud and chop shop operations. 2.3 Provide an assessment of the fraud -related motor vehicle crime problem in the coverage area of this application. Include loss data consistent with the reported incident numbers above. The program coverage area has not had a reportable amount of motor vehicle fraud related crimes. There have been fraud attempts in the program coverage area that may have been covered under the theft statute . These crimes are combated through the strong relationship the task force has with the tax assessors in the program area, and the amount of 68-A inspections completed. 2.4 Provide an assessment of motor vehicle crime not covered above like insurance fraud, preventing stolen vehicles from entering Mexico, bridge/port stolen vehicle export crime, disruption of cartels and organized criminal enterprises related to motor vehicle crime, etc... Another issue to the theft of motor vehicles in the program area is insurance fraud. The insured person will either burn the vehicle themselves or hire another to destroy the vehicle. The insured person will then report the vehicle as stolen to their local agency in order to collect an insurance payment. These crimes occur when a person is not financially able to pay for the vehicle, in another financial hardship, or the vehicle has serious mechanical issues. The task force is frequently contacted by agencies in the program area to assist in these type investigations. Whether to identify the vehicle burned or dismantled, interview the victim/ suspect, prepare search warrants, and or present the cases for prosecution. Insurance fraud is in an upward trend , even in the rural areas, which may be related to economic problems. The task force has also used informants to infiltrate criminal enterprises running chop shops. Due to the geographical area of the program coverage areas, a large number of stolen vehicles are transported from the Dallas/ Ft Worth area into the program area. The task force coordinated with the local agencies to recover stolen vehicles, arrest persons responsible, and assist in the preparation of cases for prosecution. Grant Goals and Activities There are two parts to this section: 1) Functions of Proposed Program and 2) Goals Strategies and Activities (GSA). In the following boxes, describe the functions of the proposed program and then complete a fillable form called GSA. MVCPA programs must completely describe the actions, methods and tactics that law enforcement and civilian staff will perform for each of the categories below. Describe the reliance on technology or other program elements to solve the problem statement above and goals below. Functions must be detailed and consistent with the requested budget. If a grant is awarded, funds expended towards activities not described in this section will result in the reimbursement being denied. Part 1 3.1 Functions of the proposed program related to burglary from a motor vehicle (including theft of parts) https:fabtpa.tamu.edu/Application/TFGApplication.asp?GranteelD=17&ApplD=188&FiscalYear=-2022 5111