On Friday, January 21, WANADA issued a warning supplied to us by a dealer in Alexandria about a suspicious individual who was suspected of attempted auto theft. After sending the individual’s photo and a description of his tactics, it was later reported to us that the individual had been apprehended in Fairfax County. We consequently notified the dealer body and included details on another vehicle that Montgomery County Police had confiscated and was presumed to be a dealer car.
This situation exemplifies one difficulty that law enforcement officers face in our region. With so many jurisdictions in a relatively small area, criminals can avoid or delay capture by staying in constant motion. This problem has been compounded recently by department budget cuts leading to situations like the disbanding of the Montgomery County Auto Theft Task Force.
While WANADA is obviously not a law enforcement agency, we can assist in the communication of auto theft related incidents between members of the dealer community and local law enforcement officers. The recent scenario described above reveals how effective this enhanced communication can be. Please continue to send information to Joe Koch (jk@wanada.org) or John O’Donnell (jod@wanada.org) so that more effective information dissemination can lead to more thieves being taken off of our streets.
Download Bulletin PDF