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Stealing Cars This page intentionally left blank STEALING CARS Technology & Society from the Model T to the Gran Torino JOHN A. HEITMANN & REBECCA H. MORALES Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore © 2014 Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2014 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 987654321 Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363 www.press.jhu.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heitmann, John Alfred. Stealing cars : technology and society from the Model T to the Gran Torino / John A. Heitmann and Rebecca H. Morales. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4214-1297-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4214-1298-6 (electronic) — ISBN 1-4214-1297-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 1-4214-1298-5 (electronic) 1. Automobile theft—United States—History. 2. Automobile theft—United States—Prevention. 3. Automobiles—Technological innovations. 4. Automobile thieves—United States. 5. Grand Theft Auto games—Social aspects. 6. Automobile theft—Mexican-American Border Region. I. Morales, Rebecca. II. Title. HV6658.H45 2014 364.16a286292220973—dc23 2013032111 A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more informa- tion, please contact Special Sales at 410-516-6936 or [email protected]. Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including recycled text paper that is composed of at least 30 percent post- consumer waste, whenever possible. Contents vii Acknowledgments 1 INTRODUCTION: Park at Your Own Risk 7 CHAPTER 1. “Stop, Thief!” 36 CHAPTER 2. Juvenile Delinquents, Hardened Criminals, and Some Ineffectual Technological Solutions (1941–1980) 68 CHAPTER 3. From the Personal Garage to the Surveillance Society 87 CHAPTER 4. Car Theft in the Electronic and Digital Age (1970s–Present) 115 CHAPTER 5. Mexico, the United States, and International Auto Theft 144 CHAPTER 6. The Recent Past 157 CONCLUSION: Stealing the American Dream 161 Appendix. Tables Summarizing Various U.S. Automobile Theft Crime Reports and Surveys, 1924–2010 179 Notes 205 Essay on Sources 211 Index This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments Rarely is a book of this complexity the result of authors working with- out considerable assistance. For author Heitmann, the list of those who contributed to the work is long, and there is always concern that someone’s name will be left out. Certainly former student Peter Cajka, now at Boston College, was crucial to getting this work off the ground, as his research formed the core of what was initially included on the history of auto theft in The Automobile and American Life. Later we traveled to the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, where more source mining took place. Peter also did considerable work on the topic of electronic gaming, which is a part of chapter 6. During the fall of 2010, a meeting with Johns Hopkins University Press editor Ashleigh McKown at the SHOT Meeting in Tacoma en- couraged me to move forward on the project. When Ashleigh sub- sequently moved on, senior editor Robert Brugger shepherded the study, making sure that the broader significance of car theft, including motives, was examined. Two anonymous reviewers recommended revisions to bring this work up to the standard of excellence that the Press is known for. Finally, copy editor Lois Crum did a remarkable job in pointing out inconsistencies and smoothening prose. What proved decisive, however, was my appointment as the visit- ing Knapp Chair in the Liberal Arts at the University of San Diego, where Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Mary Boyd, History Department Chair Ken Serbin, and Professor Molly McClain gave me the opportunity to work without distraction on the topic. Upon my return to the University of Dayton, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Paul Benson and History Department Chairs Julius Amin and Juan Santamarina ensured that I had the time and resources to finish the job. A summer University of Dayton Research Council Fellowship provided generous support during the summer of 2011. Todd Uhlman, a colleague in the history department, taught me much about film analysis and forced me to think philosophically, culturally, and above all abstractly. His thinking left a lasting imprint on the cultural analysis contained in this book. Finally, Roger Morris, Vice President of Com- munications at the National Insurance Crime Bureau, welcomed me vii viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS to the organization’s headquarters in Chicago, where he freely shared historical material that is seen throughout this book. For my Automobile and American Life, editor Niki Johnson, now retired from the University of Dayton Research Institute, tirelessly pol- ished my prose and caught errors and omissions. Afterward, I heard many compliments concerning the quality of that book, which was the result of Niki’s keen eyes and not my more casual attitude to precision. Again Niki stepped forward to edit this manuscript, and I am forever grateful for her unselfish commitment to helping me. People closest to me also proved crucial to the completion of this book project. Coauthor Rebecca H. Morales willingly gave her time and prodded, cajoled, and encouraged as needed. And then my family had its role as well. My wife Kaye manned the fort in Dayton while I was in sunny San Diego, with the small consolation of operating a new snow blower while I was playing tennis at Balboa Park! Daughter Lisa, living in San Diego, provided meals and company, along with son-in-law Tony, whose car-restoration projects kept my feet on the ground when I was inclined to just read books on automotive history. I dedicate this book to my Johns Hopkins University dissertation director, the late Owen Hannaway. Back in the 1980s, Owen took this pretty rough would-be scholar and made him much better, never force- fully dictating a course of study, but always gently directing. I can still see him beaming when he talked about the docks of Glasgow! With a totally open mind toward the choice of subject material and approach, Owen understood that in a subtle way, an author must intimately con- nect with the material, making it his own. For Rebecca Morales, this was a journey full of surprises, with pot- holes, caveats, and unexpected insights along the way. Perhaps the single person who proved to be the most important touchstone was Frank G. Scafidi, Director of Public Affairs for the National Insurance Crime Bureau in Sacramento, California. Without fail, Frank provided a reality check whenever one was needed, and he opened doors to hard-to-access data and people. When it came to two boots on the ground, Steve Witte, Chula Vista Police Sergeant and Head of the San Diego Regional Auto Theft Task ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix Force, and Richard Valdemar, a retired Sergeant with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, were invaluable. Their knowledge pro- vided the nuance that is lost in mere numbers on a page; their inter- pretation of events shed light on obscure information. The long and at times difficult relations between Mexico and the United States over auto theft were made more understandable by David A. Shirk, Associate Professor of Political Science and Interna- tional Relations and Director of the Trans-Border Institute at the Uni- versity of San Diego. Further assistance was provided by Efrain Aceves, a scholar and policy analyst in Mexico City who shared his broad ex- pertise that spans many disciplines. In addition, I would like to thank the following people for their generous time and thoughts: Annette Villarreal, Supervisor, Texas De- partment of Public Safety, Border Auto Theft Information Center/CID, El Paso, Texas; Ralph Lumpkin, Director of Operations for Area 3, Na- tional Insurance Crime Bureau, Chula Vista, California; and Dennis Frias, California Operations Manager, Oficina Coordinadora de Ries- gos Asegurados S.C., Covina, California. And last, but not least, was the intangible support provided by my family and friends. Thank you. This page intentionally left blank Stealing Cars This page intentionally left blank INTRODUCTION Park at Your Own Risk What the hell does everybody want with my Gran Torino? WALT KOWALSKI [CLINT EASTWOOD], GRAN TORINO (2008) Automobile theft is a crime at the margins of American life. Yet it also reflects themes that are at the core of both modern existence and what it means to be human. For the thief, the act can be a vicarious expe- rience. It is a moment that linguist Jeffrey T. Schnapp suggests vaults the perpetrator into “the world as its conqueror, ruler and judge.” In a classic role reversal, the often clever and technologically adept thief gains freedom at the expense of an “unhorsed” owner, who has lost autonomy and identity. The criminal, who usually comes from the periphery of society, moves, albeit temporarily, into a life “of bigger living,” a world in which class distinctions and material possessions have been temporarily suspended.¹ Auto theft is such a common occurrence in America that we hardly take notice when it happens—unless the car is ours. Yet insurance industry statistics tell us that in 2013 someone steals a car every thirty- three seconds. If we were to string out the annual total of stolen cars bumper to bumper, the line would stretch from New York City to Phoe- nix, Arizona. Auto theft may not be central to our everyday lives, but it is far from inconsequential, particularly when it relates directly to more serious crime. Many Americans have directly or indirectly experienced the theft of a car, our most prized possession after our home. Our personal expe- riences, however, capture only a portion of the complexity and chang- ing nature of auto theft in the United States from the early days to the present.

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