Placing Vehicle Identification Number on Component Parts of All Vehicles Submitted by: Vehicle Theft Committee
vtc.001.A11

WHEREAS, according to the FBI's Crime in the United States 2009, motor vehicle theft continues to decrease, declining in 2009 17.1 percent over 2008, 35.7 percent over 2005, and 31.5 percent over 2000; and

WHEREAS, according to the FBI's Crime in the United States, the number of motor vehicle thefts cleared by arrest or exceptional means also has declined from 14.1 percent in 2000, to 13.0 percent in 2005, and to 12.4 in 2009; and

WHEREAS, according to the FBI's Crime in the United States, recoveries of stolen vehicles also have declined from 62.2 percent in 2000, to 59.0 percent in 2006, and to 56.8 percent in 2009, indicating that fewer stolen vehicles are being recovered; and

WHEREAS, vehicle identification numbers (VINs) have aided law enforcement in solving such major crimes as the 1993 bombing of New York's World Trade Center, the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, and the 2010 attempted car bombing in Times Square, as well as in identifying countless stolen vehicles that subsequently were returned to their rightful owners and in prosecuting those involved in their theft; and

WHEREAS, those vehicles stolen in the United States and valued at $5.2 billion annually often are dismantled after theft, and their component parts are shipped to foreign countries or are sold in various venues, including eBay® and Craigslist; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement often is hampered from identifying the owners of component parts of stolen vehicles and from prosecuting those involved in their theft because 49 CFR part 541—Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard (10/01/09 edition)—does not require that the VIN be inscribed or affixed to all component parts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police, in conjunction with International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, calls upon the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to initiate actions to eliminate from § 49 CFR 541.3—Application—those exceptions that prevent inscribing or affixing the VIN on the component parts of all vehicles.