tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38061056702258781572024-03-19T05:04:43.317-04:00The Automobile and American LifeThis blog will expand on themes and topics first mentioned in my book, "The Automobile and American Life." I hope to comment on recent developments in the automobile industry, reviews of my readings on the history of the automobile, drafts of my new work, contributions from friends, descriptions of the museums and car shows I attend and anything else relevant. Copyright 2009-2020, by the author.John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.comBlogger2582125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-26762168301488017052024-03-16T17:19:00.003-04:002024-03-16T17:19:32.125-04:00Best Route 66 Photo Ever!<p><br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPD-G-KPOr4vm0hs7Q-KZPbEX9Pq6cZZhDd6OTBudM0H5o_ynYNouWg_lWr8d1HwvBcVY7w5JWWe-L3qLMUop144PlFvxY1RjgdxgnZqeIl675GoSD3NYIcKFJ5TZNztKNDYhBzp5voRkBmw4hgJSPef1ZiJQ3_HjFR4lFW64SMqewg_RPLU-tI3MlvQ/s739/route66best.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="673" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMPD-G-KPOr4vm0hs7Q-KZPbEX9Pq6cZZhDd6OTBudM0H5o_ynYNouWg_lWr8d1HwvBcVY7w5JWWe-L3qLMUop144PlFvxY1RjgdxgnZqeIl675GoSD3NYIcKFJ5TZNztKNDYhBzp5voRkBmw4hgJSPef1ZiJQ3_HjFR4lFW64SMqewg_RPLU-tI3MlvQ/w582-h640/route66best.jpg" width="582" /></a></div><p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-40964209067358733762024-02-24T17:18:00.005-05:002024-02-24T20:05:36.781-05:00Stealing Freedom: A History of Automobile Theft, My Webinar, February 15, 2024<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zDhVifpoYgM" width="320" youtube-src-id="zDhVifpoYgM"></iframe></div><br /> Thanks to the folks at the Canadian Automotive Museum for inviting me to do this!<p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-27312347284539102312024-02-14T12:21:00.004-05:002024-02-14T12:21:51.871-05:00Happy Valentine's Day!!!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxvEEcMooR9tmFtzZTTwNAvtOj6y1v9fcAeX2pFGWMgJFt9P3rKHNJqnhyphenhyphen6Rcp9nlzT05367Nsug8KYmbDMtN0ChMchC_znabjqLAWzAVUVhdelDomh91oYti-vnMC_2XqRxLXXwq0QAAmT6hSLy5FY9nCaD1c7AsIF9Eb8Vp-PEa029NR1ZE78tJa-I/s1138/valentine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxvEEcMooR9tmFtzZTTwNAvtOj6y1v9fcAeX2pFGWMgJFt9P3rKHNJqnhyphenhyphen6Rcp9nlzT05367Nsug8KYmbDMtN0ChMchC_znabjqLAWzAVUVhdelDomh91oYti-vnMC_2XqRxLXXwq0QAAmT6hSLy5FY9nCaD1c7AsIF9Eb8Vp-PEa029NR1ZE78tJa-I/w450-h640/valentine.jpg" width="450" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-18404137524387445302024-02-13T14:26:00.000-05:002024-02-13T14:26:31.368-05:00Waymo Car Vandalized in San Francisco -- Resentment Towards AI and Autonomous Cars? Will the Luddites Finally Rise?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2AuogqWG8pM" width="320" youtube-src-id="2AuogqWG8pM"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>No car wirh a driver would be at this intersection at this time, but the Waymo Car did not know that. And so it headed into a Lunar New Year celebration and was vandalized by a crowd perhaps not so sympathetic to high tech and capitalism. When will society turn on all the new technology that we are exposed to? When will the Luddites rise and take back the planet?</p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-67430010062183039422024-02-11T10:46:00.000-05:002024-02-11T10:46:43.980-05:00Technological Countermeasures to Automobile Theft Invented and at Times Used during the 1920s<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg5gk4hGX26Kd-IfACigIR27pApVOHH_K17N7biCHqhxFauzWh5YHmKIHYUc-NFK0xW7YV1VLtDF_Nzt-5JxOtsdgt9yNgONLqKEt8XPVB_QXZpg6OOpMs0TaGw1gEoVsw5wGVCo7-hvBKmUnkO0deoNkaYPmxKiosxrXFj2cpqna0WUfKBhH68G2K8Q/s640/stolencardpostcard%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="640" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTg5gk4hGX26Kd-IfACigIR27pApVOHH_K17N7biCHqhxFauzWh5YHmKIHYUc-NFK0xW7YV1VLtDF_Nzt-5JxOtsdgt9yNgONLqKEt8XPVB_QXZpg6OOpMs0TaGw1gEoVsw5wGVCo7-hvBKmUnkO0deoNkaYPmxKiosxrXFj2cpqna0WUfKBhH68G2K8Q/w640-h408/stolencardpostcard%20(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/159912d1-93db-4936-b309-ba7da53027e2" /></p><p style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0pt; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Between 1914 and 1925 there were at least 25 patents related to a wheel chock</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; vertical-align: baseline;"> or wheel lock that shackled a wood spoke wheel. Of course, a would-be thief only had to take off the wheel to defeat the device.</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 48px;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/588c7322-5b59-4c2b-8253-73cc4e23bfe7" /><b style="font-size: 11pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 48px;">Technological Countermeasures</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Beyond commonsense precautions, automobile owners were advised to take preventive measures to stop early car thieves. <span style="color: red;"> </span>Perhaps the most bizarre, and in retrospect, humorous countermeasure was the Bosco "Collapsible Rubber Driver." Made in Akron, Ohio, ad copy for the rubber man claimed that "locks may be picked or jimmied. Cars may be stolen in spite of them. But no thief ever attempted to steal a car with a man at the wheel. [It] is so lifelike and terrifying, that nobody a foot away can tell it isn't a real, live man. When not in use, this marvelous device is simply deflated and put under the seat."<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> Owners were advised to lock their doors or “garage” their automobiles. In his 1917 article “Automobile Thefts,” John Brennan proposed another counter-measure: “If owners would only take steps to put private identification marks on their cars, the problem of automobile thievery would be a simple one to solve.”<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span></span></a> It was suggested that the owner bore holes into the underside of the running boards, scratch their name somewhere secret, or tape an identification card inside the upholstery.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">In addition to leaving a secret mark or set of identification marks, stronger locking mechanisms were proposed. One such deterrent, first marketed in 1920, was the Simplex Theftproof Auto Lock.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span></span></a> Advertised with the moniker "To be simple is to be great," the device appeared to be a simple collar lock, made of bronze and steel, and installed in twenty minutes by a mechanic. Once in place the Simplex lock positioned a vehicle's front wheels straight ahead, and it was claimed that such a vehicle could not be towed. Available in five diameters, the anti-theft collar could be attached to virtually every American car, and at the modest cost of $15, not including professional installation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">A far more effective and popular locking device marketed and installed during the 1920s was the Hershey Coincidental Lock. In a 1928 advertisement in The <i>Saturday Evening Post</i>, its manufacturer asked the question "Will your NEW car be safe?" The ad copy argued their product -- with more than 2 million sold -- locked "not only the ignition, but the steering as well -- with a hardened steel bolt."<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></span></span></a> The Hershey Coincidental Lock was the work of inventor Orville S. Hershey and Ernest J. Van Sickel, both from Chicago.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span></span></a> First developed in the early 1920s and then refined during the remainder of the decade, the lock anticipated steering wheel locks that were mandated by the federal government in the 1970s, and indeed was perhaps stronger than the locks that appeared on Big Three cars at that later date. With a combination ignition cut off and strongly reinforced deadbolt, the owner of a Hershey automobile lock could opt to disable the deadbolt and only secure the car by switching off the ignition, or one could employ both deterrents if so desired.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">One might hastily conclude that manufacturers had little interest in selling automobiles that had secure locking systems, but that would be wrong. It is difficult to generalize on the matter of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) ignition locks installed on cars from the 1920s to the 1930s. Changes took place year to year in terms of supplier, design, and placement. For example, for a time in 1932 and then later, V-8 Fords sometimes had a lock on the transmission, other times on the steering column.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span></span></a> <span style="color: red;">By the mid-1930s General Motors had settled on a disk or wafer tumbler design, based on that developed by Briggs and Stratton. This lock featured six wafers (pins were also used in some cases) and a single-sided key. If the proper key was inserted, the wafers were moved so that the core or plug of the lock could freely rotate. However, if there was no key or the wrong key in the cylinder, the wafers were not aligned with the so-called lock shear line, and the cylinder core remained fixed.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">[8]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">However, no matter how intricate, locks were invariably defeated by the experienced thief, either by bumping or picking, or simply cutting or forcing open. Another approach tried in the 1920s was to provide a visible identification number and set of authorized driver photographs. Such was the product marketed by the Auto-Thief-Stopper Company of Detroit, Michigan. The invention of Wallace C.D. Cochran in 1922, the "STOP THE THIEF" plate was secured to the motor vehicle's gas tank.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[9]</span></span></span></a> The information on the specially embossed and sealed card included a "Whizzer" serial number, photographs of owners and authorized drivers, their addresses, and information on the color of hair and eyes, complexion, and distinctive marks that might include birthmarks and scars. The basic notion was that service station attendants would check the plate before servicing the car, and "if any doubt arises, hold parties and summon an officer." If one attempted to remove the plate, the result would be a hole in the gas tank; to alter the plate would break seals that could not be repaired. However, there does not exist in the historical record any evidence that such an identification card ever caught on during the 1920s. But the plate did reflect one of the most important shortcomings of the automobile of the 1920s, namely that a uniform system of vehicle identification numbers did not exist, and that stamped numbers on the motor or chassis were easily altered.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Perhaps the most significant anti-theft technological system introduced during the 1920s, aimed at owners and manufacturers was the FEDCO number plate. According to one company brochure, the FEDCO System was a response to the utter failure of any method to arrest the alarming increase in auto thefts during the mid-1920s.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[10]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">New York City-based FEDCO (Federated Engineers Development Corporation) was a firm "devoted to the complete, practical development of inventions." Beginning in 1923 it had worked on an anti-theft number plate with the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Underwriters Laboratories, and the Burns International Detective Agency. Essentially FEDCO metallurgists fabricated a plate that self destructed when one attempted to remove or alter it. With digits made of white metal and standing out behind a background of oxidized copper, the entire plate also had an embossed surface that was characteristic of the car make. Below the numbers the digits were spelled out, and this complex identifier proved to perplex those who tried to foil it. The idea behind the FEDCO System, then, was based on a number plate attached to the dashboard of a new car coming off the assembly line. To alter or remove the plate would result in its destruction, leaving a tell-tale remnant, indicative of tampering. And apparently the technology worked, at least according to one car thief who was caught as a result of it. Writing his confession from the Nassau County, New York jail, auto thief A.M. Bachmeyer exclaimed that "had I realized just what this number plate meant I would not have stolen this car."<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[11]</span></span></span></a> While the FEDCO system proved to be an effective deterrent, there is no evidence that Chrysler continued with the number plate after 1926, or that other manufacturers adopted the unique plate technology.<a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[12]</span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><div><br clear="all" /><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="ftn1"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Floyd Clymer, <i>Historical Scrapbook No. 4</i> (Los Angeles: Clymer, 1947), p. 162.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn2"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ibid.,</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> p. 565. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn3"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “How Safe Is Your Automobile?,” p. 532.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn4"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Simplex Corporation, Chicago, "Simplex Theftproof Auto Lock: A Look for Every Car," Trade Catalog Collection, Benson Ford Research Center, Dearborn, MI.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn5"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Ad for Hershey Coincidental Locks, <i>Saturday Evening Post</i>, May 19, 1928, 50.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn6"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> See Orville S. Hershey, "Automobile Lock," <i>U.S. Patent 1,685, 128</i>, September 25, 1928; ; Orville S. Hershey, "Automobile Lock," <i>U.S. Patent 1,694,506</i>, December 11, 1928; E.J. Van Sickel, "Automobile Lock," <i>U.S. Patent 1,730,396</i>, October 8, 1929.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn7"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Edward P. Francis and George De Angeles, <i>The Early Ford V8 as Henry Built It</i> (South Lyon, MI: Motor Cities Publishing, 1982), p. 53.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn8"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[8]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Stephen F. Briggs, "Lock," U.S. Patent 1,826,649, October 6, 1931. Robert F. Mangine, "Examination of Steering Columns and Ignition Locks," in Eric Stauffer and Monica S. Bonfanti, <i>Forensic Investigation of Stolen-Recovered and Other Crime-Related Vehicles</i> (Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2006), pp. 227-258. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn9"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Wallace C.D. Cochran, "Opportunity: A pamphlet Addressed to Capital, and Pointing the Way to the Establishment of a Gigantic New Business Enterprise, VIZ: -- Wholesale Automobile Theft Insurance, with the Risk Eliminated." October 9, 1922. Vertical File, Theft Prevention, National Automotive History Collection, Detroit Public Library.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn10"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[10]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Fedco Number Plate Corporation, "Foiling the Auto Thief: The FEDCO System of Automobile Theft Prevention and Detection," December, 1927, Vertical File, "Theft Protection," National Historical Automobile Collection, Detroit Public Library.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn11"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[11]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>Ibid</i>., n.p.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn12"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://7C8FC088-CBB2-4178-AAF4-DB3E3AB20DB1#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[12]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The relationship between Chrysler and Fedco apparently ended after the 1926 model year. See Thomas S. LaMarre, “From Model B to Big Three: Chrysler’s Amazing Ascent,” <i>Automobile Quarterly</i>, 32, no. 4 (1996), 25.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-77797269976348793782024-02-10T18:54:00.001-05:002024-02-10T18:54:10.465-05:00This Week: Columbus Policeman Dragged on Hood of Stolen Car and Fires Shots, Wounding Thief<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZhhxjBh-xiU" width="320" youtube-src-id="ZhhxjBh-xiU"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-38610442725248504222024-02-09T20:15:00.003-05:002024-02-09T20:15:24.808-05:00Automobile Theft and the 1920s American City Scene<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-ofXuMXDiOngpjke_dJFNVl1BzoTUSPV6OsgM9mMR_miVQgn2MhuLzR9s40tHYB44GWcMmX8cCDA7CdmGyI3x_VYAOUp6jkDgwaTFDvEPWUU7GNZeprqENt05zG9GhyphenhyphenMO3Av5MZK24qwVBgqL2f1-zxDy71jh4EqJ2pfWTV4HkXzjp8sAs2DFwHBGkI/s1026/1920Hudsonpage1-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1026" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-ofXuMXDiOngpjke_dJFNVl1BzoTUSPV6OsgM9mMR_miVQgn2MhuLzR9s40tHYB44GWcMmX8cCDA7CdmGyI3x_VYAOUp6jkDgwaTFDvEPWUU7GNZeprqENt05zG9GhyphenhyphenMO3Av5MZK24qwVBgqL2f1-zxDy71jh4EqJ2pfWTV4HkXzjp8sAs2DFwHBGkI/w640-h492/1920Hudsonpage1-11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><b>Abandoned Stolen 1920 Hudson, Washington, DC (Library of Congress)</b><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Automobile Theft and the 1920s City Scene<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">By the 1920s, Automobile
theft was most acute in Detroit and Los Angeles. “Naturally Detroit is
peculiarly liable to this trouble because it has such a large floating
population of men trained to mechanical expertise in the various factories.”<a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> It stood
to reason that Ford’s workers stole Ford’s cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arthur Evans Wood reported that in 1928 in
Detroit a total of 11,259 cars were stolen.<a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of those thefts less than 10 percent led to
an eventual arrest, and only 50 percent of that group was ever prosecuted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, only 25 percent of those persons
arrested for auto theft in this particular group were ever convicted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since at that time many thieves ended up
paying off "coppers" to avoid apprehension, one might conclude that this
crime actually did pay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same year in Los Angeles 10,813
automobiles were stolen.<a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> By the
1920s, Los Angeles had the most automobiles per resident in the United States.
And this fact clearly was changing the face of crime in the City of Angels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Historian Scott Bottles has pointed out that
“By 1925, every other Angelino owned an automobile as opposed to the rest of
the country where there was only one car for every six people.”<a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Angelinos
had more opportunities to steal cars, and some took those opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1916 some 1,300 cars were stolen and 85%
were recovered; a decade later more than 10,000 were taken with an 89% recovery
rate.</span><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Theft statistics remained in the range
between 5,000 and 8,000 cars per year to the onset of World War II.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Baltimore, New York City, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Omaha, St.
Louis, and many other cities also experienced major problems related to
automobile theft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1918, the year
immediately before federal legislation was enacted to stem the auto theft tide,
Chicago experienced more than 2,600 thefts; St. Louis 2,241; Kansas City 1,144;
and Cleveland, 2,076.</span><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> However, in an article
published in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Country Life</i>, Alexander
Johnson revealed the problem was not just endemic to urban America: “We who
live in the country are not quite as subject as our urban brethren to this
abominable outrage, but automobile stealing is carried on even in the rural
districts.”<a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although cars from the countryside certainly
were stolen from time to time, auto theft remained largely an urban problem
from the WWI era to this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joy riders
could be found in every locale; gangs, rings, bootleggers, and drugs were very
much a part of the city scene.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="color: red;">Of course,
within each city there were some neighborhoods that were more secure than
others. And there were "hot spots," some of which were connected with
the race of the majority of their inhabitants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Such was the case of Chicago in the early 1930s, where in several
red-lined districts insurance underwriters refused to issue policies
"except under special arrangement." In these African-American neighborhoods
"conditions are so deplorable …that resident motorists cannot obtain any
insurance." To clarify its reasons for making such a decision, the
insurance industry stated that "The reason that Negros cannot secure theft
insurance is not one of discrimination, but more or less one of character.
Color does not play any part."<a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Vehicles Stolen
in Buffalo, New York Between 15 May and 15 July 1924</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Make of Motor Vehicle Number</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Auburn 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Buick 26<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cadillac 5<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Chevrolet 61<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Chalmers 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Chandler 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cole 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dodge 8<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dort 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Durant 4<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Elcar 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Essex 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ford 172<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Franklin 3<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Gardner 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Haynes 4<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Holmes 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Hudson 7<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Hupmobile 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Jewett 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Jordan 5<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Marmon 3<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Maxwell 5<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Moon 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Nash 7<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Oakland 3<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Oldsmobile 3<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Overland 15<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Packard 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Paige 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Peerless 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Star 1<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Stearns-Knight 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Studebaker 10<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Velie 2<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Wills St. Claire 5<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Willys Knight 5<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">(Source: "Automobile Record Book for 1924," Buff)alo,
New York<o:p></o:p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Johnson, “Stop Thief!,” 72. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
Bennet Mead, “Police Statistics.” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Annals
of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,</i> 146 (Nov. 1929),
94. Arthur Evans Wood, "A Study of Arrests in Detroit, 1913 to 1919,"
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of the American Institute of
Criminal Law and Criminology</i>, 21 (August, 1930), 99.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Wood,
p.94. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
Scott Bottles, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Los Angeles and the
Automobile: The Making of a Modern City </i>(Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1987),
p. 92. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
J.B. Thomas, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Conspicuous Depredation:
Automobile Theft in Los Angeles, 1904-1987 </i>(N.P.: Office of the Attorney
General, California Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement,
Criminal Identification and Information Branch, Bureau of Criminal Statistics
and Special Services, March 1990).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">US House of Representatives, 66th Congress, 1st
session, Report 312:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Theft of Automobiles</i>. (Washington:
G.P.O, 1919),<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>p. 1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">
Johnson, “Stop Thief!” 72.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="file:///D:/chapter1stealingcarsAugust2012version.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> "Car Insurance is Withheld from Chicago Negroes. Appaling
[sic]<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Auto Theft Rate Makes Negro
Districts Bigger Risks than more Refined Districts," <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Plaindealer</i> (Kansas City, Kansas), July 7, 1933, pp. 1, 4.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div><br /><p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-43332642437299918702024-02-07T20:01:00.002-05:002024-02-07T20:01:43.156-05:00Automobile Theft and the Coming of the Model T, 1908-1925<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHoFa5XiE4-XL-cAh315gTPz0gNiOeGSJ4ZxtZZXG7EFKvUEayj-EiEu8-C8YgQmtoVK9s1xwE5sBX71WgrptCzpru2FSiMof1ol5u4y4U5BTNTuXnThaqz_eDOWjLhHA49gTPdj1-xaRvthEx9ys0HOYiphXM_cO1reuu-F9KkYzJk6_Ngbs7zFlbW8/s371/Protectyourcar1920page1-10.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="371" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHoFa5XiE4-XL-cAh315gTPz0gNiOeGSJ4ZxtZZXG7EFKvUEayj-EiEu8-C8YgQmtoVK9s1xwE5sBX71WgrptCzpru2FSiMof1ol5u4y4U5BTNTuXnThaqz_eDOWjLhHA49gTPdj1-xaRvthEx9ys0HOYiphXM_cO1reuu-F9KkYzJk6_Ngbs7zFlbW8/w640-h632/Protectyourcar1920page1-10.gif" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uquafvSVOM9FpDkX1B8BWdp2umwOsggSXAmjaKCugW1bvVYLdLUi76kfQ4Rp9ljgVngk1Dx0dOJbn29f3av4J7kxwPBj_JysBt3r7eeeU06uL4xZa1d1rrsJGfAx8mwqSKpNnSJJWY8tWgM199P0g-styAYOJ9eG4w2S0h7XuSbS57bSUAJ4bCJShpo/s1502/Buffaloauttheftrecordbookpage1-18.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="909" data-original-width="1502" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uquafvSVOM9FpDkX1B8BWdp2umwOsggSXAmjaKCugW1bvVYLdLUi76kfQ4Rp9ljgVngk1Dx0dOJbn29f3av4J7kxwPBj_JysBt3r7eeeU06uL4xZa1d1rrsJGfAx8mwqSKpNnSJJWY8tWgM199P0g-styAYOJ9eG4w2S0h7XuSbS57bSUAJ4bCJShpo/w640-h388/Buffaloauttheftrecordbookpage1-18.tif" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Buffalo, NY Automobile Theft Record, 1924</span><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Mass Production and the Post-WWI Rise in Auto Theft<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">With Ford’s “democratization” of the automobile and an explosion in the number of vehicles came an epidemic of automobile theft. Machines produced in mass quantities made easy prey for joy riders, common thieves, and skilled, organized professional criminals. Moreover, the automobile was valuable, mobile, and its parts were often interchangeable. Lucrative domestic and international markets for stolen automobiles and parts yielded high profits and relatively low risk. Interchangeable parts also enabled thieves to quickly reconstruct and disguise stolen automobiles. As evinced by thieves’ ability to alter serial numbers, duplicate registration papers, switch radiators, and replace entire engine blocks, Fordism’s inherent uniformity welcomed theft. Moreover, thieves, with few exceptions, sought out and stole the most ubiquitous automobiles; popular, middle</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">priced models were most likely to be stolen, along with the easy to steal Model T.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Until the introduction of the electric self-starter in 1912, automobiles employed a battery/magneto switch along with a crank.<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a> The automobilist turned the switch to B (battery), got outside the car, cranked the engine, and then once it started, moved the lever to M (magneto) and adjusted the carburetor. On early Ford Model T’s the battery/magneto switch had a brass lever key, but there were only two types, with either a round or square shank. Later, in 1919, Ford offered an optional lockable electric starter, but only used twenty-four key patterns. To make things easy for the thief, each code was stamped on both the key and the starter plate. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><img src="blob:https://www.blogger.com/dee31175-e247-4894-9669-5ff2c193eca6" /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Most significantly, however, the very nature and scale of criminality was transformed by automobility.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Unlike other stolen goods, the automobile enabled its own escape.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">One such real life episode happened in 1925, when five men held up a cashier and timekeeper at a construction site in the Bronx, took $2000, and then fled in the victim’s car.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">The</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">New York Times</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">reported that the thugs, “as they fled … fired a shot from the automobile at a number of workmen who had dropped their tools and were giving chase. The robbers’ car was out of sight when they reached 165</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Street and Jerome Avenue."</span><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">It was obvious, then, when in 1916 a New York Police official commented that: “the automobile is a very easy thing to steal and a hard thing to find.”<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span></span></a> As early as 1915, 401 automobiles were stolen in New York and only 338 were recovered.<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span></span></a> By 1920, it was estimated that one-tenth of cars manufactured annually were stolen.<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></span></span></a> Astonishingly, in 1925 it was estimated that 200,000 to 250,000 cars were stolen annually. The automobile age had ushered in a new era of crime, and a new type of criminal, the “joy rider.” <a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">This crime wave, however, could not be attributed to just one kind of criminal, particularly one who took his or her act as a casual "borrowing" of a vehicle. Automobile theft added new categories of crimes, and the motor vehicle became a central part of burglary and housebreaking. In response, police began to patrol with the automobile. In 1922, Chicago police complained that their worn-out “tin lizzies” should be scrapped; they could not catch the high powered hold-up car that traveled at sixty miles an hour.<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span></span></a> Even with the growth of government and the advent of patrolling, police forces were outmaneuvered by mobile criminals. Contrary to the iconic prohibition image of police forces that smashed barrels of alcohol, municipal police forces may have dealt with stolen automobiles on a more regular basis.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> Automobile theft developed as a complex phenomenon, one that was not easily characterized in terms of motives or methods. Indeed it became as complex as American life in the machine age. In Philadelphia in 1926, 8,896 people were arrested for assault and battery by the automobile, as it was also used as a weapon.<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[8]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">George C. Henderson, an expert on crime who had just authored his popular <i>Keys to Crookdom</i> (1924), placed car thieves into five categories: commercial thieves and hardened criminals; strippers; traveling crooks; robbers or bandits; and finally "Joy riders, kids, imbeciles, dope fiends, incorrigibles, rough-necks and members of youthful gangs [who]steal cars just to ride around town." <a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[9]</span></span></span></a> As to the "why" of youthful offenders, W.S. Jennings, commenting on those incarcerated in Indiana's Jeffersonville Reformatory, asserted that the reason for adolescents breaking the law was due to "Divorces, broken homes, children spoiled in raising by neglected parents, or by equally neglected over-indulgent ones; the absence of rational home life to counteract city temptations; failure to learn self control in early life."<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[10]</span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">In reality, there were almost as many reasons for becoming an auto thief as there were thieves. One purported auto thief, writing a confession in a 1925 issue of <i>Your Car:</i> <i>A Magazine of Romance, Fact and Fiction</i> explained that he "drifted into stealing automobiles, because it seemed the easiest way to get what was to me a lot of money, quickly. I had a champagne appetite and a dishwasher income."<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">[11]</span></span></span></a> Beginning with the theft of automobile jacks, tire irons, and tires, this repentant criminal organized a gang of three, including one skilled mechanic who had "graduated from one of "Detroit's finest factories.'" The trio, careful to study the daily habits of the owners of the cars under consideration, concentrated on stealing Buicks in New York City and then moving them to a shop in Westchester. In the end, and after a chance apprehension, the writer was determined to go straight after a two year prison sentence. He cautioned owners with a strategy that remains viable to this day:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The stories I read about automobile thieves and how slick they are, opening any lock in fifteen minutes, installing wiring systems of their own and all that sort of stuff, make me laugh. Why should a thief go to all that trouble when right around the corner he can find another car without any locks on it, except the ignition lock, which his master key will open as quickly as the owners?<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">[12]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">In sum, auto theft was often one of a number of interrelated crimes perpetrated by law breakers. The automobile created new opportunities for criminals of all persuasions, and consequently confronted legal authorities with a myriad of problems. One author noted that, “as automobile thefts increase burglaries and robberies increase.”<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[13]</span></span></span></a> The automobile itself was stolen, but the automobile also played a central role in kidnapping, rum running, larceny, burglary, traffic crimes, robberies, and deadly accidents of the “lawless years.”<a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[14]</span></span></span></a> </span></p><div><br clear="all" /><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="ftn1"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> For an excellent discussion on the history of car keys, see Michael Lamm, “Are Car Keys Obsolete,” <i>American Heritage Invention & Technology</i>, 23 (Summer 2008), 7.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn2"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “Get $2,000 Payroll, Flee in Victim’s Car,” <i>New York Times,</i> September 27, 1925, 9.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn3"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Roy Lewis, “Watch Your Car,” <i>Outing</i>, 70(May 1917), 170.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn4"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>Ibid.,</i> p. 168. “The All-Conquering Auto Thief and a Proposed Quietus for Him,” <i>Literary Digest,</i> 64(February 7, 1920), 111-115, with reference to Alexander C. Johnston’s article in <i>Munsey’s Magazine</i>, New York, 1920. “More Than a Quarter of a Million Cars Stolen Each Year,” <i>Travel,</i> (October 1929),46. See also, William G. Shepard ,"I wonder who’s driving her now?,” <i>Colliers</i>, 80(July 23, 1927), 14. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "joy ride" was first used in a 1909 article in the <i>N.Y. Evening Post</i> reporting on a city ordinance that was passed to stop city officers from taking "joy rides."<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn5"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> For a comprehensive description of the auto theft problem in the years immediately after WWI, see Automobile Protective and Information Bureau, Annual Report (N.P.: n.p., 1921). Additionally, see the pamphlet “A Growing Crime!,” (N.P.: n.p., 1923[?].<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn6"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Joy rider as a term evoking irresponsibility and reckless disregard for others is briefly discussed in Peter D. Norton, “Street Rivals: Jaywalking and the invention of the Motor Age Street,” <i>Technology and Culture,</i> 48 (2007), 342. On juvenile delinquency in the period, see Christopher Thale, "Cops and Kids: Policing Juvenile Delinquency in Urban America, 1890-1940, <i>Journal of Social History,</i> 40(Summer, 2007), 1024-6; D.J.S. Morris, "American Juvenile Delinquency," <i>Journal of American Studies</i>, 6 (December, 1972), 337-40; Bill Bush, "The Rediscovery of Juvenile Delinquency," <i>Journal of the Gilded and Progressive Era</i>, 5( October, 2006), 393-402.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn7"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Henry Barrett Chamberlain, “The Proposed Illinois Bureau of Criminal Records and Statistics.” <i>Journal of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology</i>, 13(Feb., 1922), 522. Allegedly the police moved one-third as fast as the criminals they chased. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn8"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[8]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ellen C. Potter, “Spectacular Aspects of Crime in Relation to the Crime Wave,”<i>Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, </i>125(May, 1926), 12. Potter noted, “…the automobile has added its spectacular element to causes for arrest in Philadelphia by approximately 10 percent. Assault and battery by the good old-fashioned human fist lacks some of the elements which make the same offense by automobile a new story and more than 8,800 arrests were made in 1925 out of a total of 137,263.”<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn9"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> George C. Henderson, <i>Keys to Crookdom </i>(New York:. D. Appleton, 1924), pp. 28-9.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn10"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[10]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> W.S. Jennings, Jeffersonville Reformatory, City of Renewed Hope," where Indiana Keeps Some of her Misfits," Indiana Farmers' Guide, 33 (April 30, 1921), 4.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn11"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[11]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Confessions of An Auto Thief," <i>Your Car: A Magazine of Romance, Fact and Fiction</i> (June 1925), 34.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn12"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[12]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i><span style="color: red;">Ibid</span></i><span style="color: red;">., p. 36.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn13"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[13]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> William J. Davis, “Stolen Automobile Investigations.” <i>Journal of Automobile Investigations</i>, 28 (Jan.-Feb. 1938), 721.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn14"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://2C71914F-F5ED-407E-8E3A-497F1F8EB0A4#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[14]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Federal Bureau of Investigation, “Lawless Years: 1921-1933,” <i>http://www.fbi.gvov/libref/historic/history/lawless.htm,</i>accessed 17 May 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-11618365666510105072024-02-06T20:25:00.001-05:002024-02-06T20:44:49.385-05:00Automobile Theft during the Pioneer Era, 1900-1914<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">The Pioneer Era<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> The automobile was a primary object for thieves and perfect accessory to crime during the 20th century. However, not knowing what the future held, one early turn-of-the-century contemporary asserted that the coming of the automobile would decrease personal transportation thievery substantially. An early steamer owner and physician asserted in 1901: "When I leave my machine at the door of a patient's house I am sure to find it there on my return. Not always so with the horse: he may have skipped off as the result of a flying paper or the uncouth yell of a street gamin, and the expense of broken harness, wagon, and probably worse has to be met."<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></a> Of course, stealing a stem car often took some time to heat the boiler, turn the various valves, and start off. Thieves would do much better with internal combustion engine powered vehicles. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">The first reported auto theft in <i>The Horseless Age</i> occurred during the fall of 1902, although there seemed to exist some contention as to when the first took place: "H. Clark Saunders, New Brunswick, N.J. writes us that the theft of an automobile mentioned in our last issue[1903] was not the first on record, as Mr. Laurenz Schmalholz, New Brunswick, N.J., while in Trenton, N.J. on the day before the election last November [1902], had his Pierce Motorette stolen from the stables of the United States Hotel, and it was not until late the following day that the machine was found."<span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a></span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd7wvNfNAKCgOmF3aav80Xz1Z97GOqvMyrl7e1DZcHD8T0AIiKhzJZLhTDGIdOKplA-trYhd7jFMQFuvtO35Bcx4VEO0s5CCMFlYcDGUpLGms8E7yhkEJrqgYTLJM5arTgdxPCxF0GCwFzhYd8NjSAlPeerS2Z5v19yD1xaNC2LKoUFVkwlob3BTA7iY/s600/NMAH-AHB2015q062920.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqd7wvNfNAKCgOmF3aav80Xz1Z97GOqvMyrl7e1DZcHD8T0AIiKhzJZLhTDGIdOKplA-trYhd7jFMQFuvtO35Bcx4VEO0s5CCMFlYcDGUpLGms8E7yhkEJrqgYTLJM5arTgdxPCxF0GCwFzhYd8NjSAlPeerS2Z5v19yD1xaNC2LKoUFVkwlob3BTA7iY/w640-h480/NMAH-AHB2015q062920.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;">1904 Pierce Motorette (courtesy NMAH)</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> The security of the steamer in particular was noted by early automotive pioneers, who clearly recognized that even their vehicles were far from secure. Of course, just the time to open valves, start the pilot flame and then heat the boiler, and do other manipulations took considerable time. For internal combustion powered vehicles, that was a different story, however. A 1901 article on locking devices for cars stated that: "It is not a safe proceeding to let an automobile stand in the street so that the operation of a conspicuous hand lever will start the vehicle; and it may be said that we are approaching a period where it will not be safe to let a vehicle stand in the street which can be started by any person thoroughly familiar with that particular machine, but without the necessary key or keys. Most manufacturers are recognizing these conditions and are providing means either against accidental starting or both against this and malicious designs."<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Apparently steam and electric vehicles were better equipped with locks than their internal combustion powered rivals from that era. Steam-powered vehicles typically had locks that immobilized the throttle, "thereby preventing any possible interference by the over curious meddler”.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span></span></a> For example, the Victor Steam Carriage used a particularly complex device that nevertheless did not ensure security:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">…a spring actuated catch is employed, which locks the throttle lever, inside the seat, is fastened to a double-armed lever, which occupies a near horizontal position when the throttle lever is in the off position. Inside the seat there is a single-armed lever, the lower part of which stands nearly vertical normally and the upper part which is inclined forwardly. A catch on this lever engages with the one arm of the double-armed lever fastened to the throttle lever shaft and prevents the motion of the latter. The single-armed lever is held in position by a coiled spring. The upper end of the lever bears against the seatboard, and the spring is sufficiently powerful to lift the board when nobody is sitting on it. When anybody sits down when the seatboard is depressed, the spring is extended and the catch released.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title="">[5]</a></span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNulFJxU2Piyibz5d6ysaEsAPx6jWGbABD0A0xiOE_UNOzlaMOUIqlcwGJNuIy_IUP10Opt3f0ph96_DtSNRU_vf1r_A8PLVWqThhWkX1QaYZl50R4OMZx6stxM0LpbYEOndXwyWhvAdBZha42T3Yb0x7EFeYGHk38uiF39iXrW3HCFIaY4s8NLCOD-PA/s607/overman_automobile_company_1901_12_december_magazine_advertisement_maybe_horseless_age.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="607" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNulFJxU2Piyibz5d6ysaEsAPx6jWGbABD0A0xiOE_UNOzlaMOUIqlcwGJNuIy_IUP10Opt3f0ph96_DtSNRU_vf1r_A8PLVWqThhWkX1QaYZl50R4OMZx6stxM0LpbYEOndXwyWhvAdBZha42T3Yb0x7EFeYGHk38uiF39iXrW3HCFIaY4s8NLCOD-PA/w640-h506/overman_automobile_company_1901_12_december_magazine_advertisement_maybe_horseless_age.png" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">1903 Advertisement</span></b><br /><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: super;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Typically electric vehicles came with a key that manipulated a switch, and with one turn, the current to the motor was cut off. Yet the designers of many of the earliest Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-powered vehicles were cavalier about security. As one illustration, the Winton used a common snap switch mounted to a porcelain base. One could remove the hard rubber handle and carry it along, but it was not usually done, since the switch could be operated without it. Packards featured two push button switches that interrupted the igniter circuit. Ordinarily one of these switches was placed on the kneeboard, and the other in the battery box, which could be locked. The 1901 Hayes-Apperson used: "a switch of their own construction. The contact pieces form arcs of a circle, and over these moves a double-armed flat contact lever swiveling in the center of the circle and held down to contact pieces by a shoulder butterfly screw. This screw can easily be removed and the lever carried along."<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span></span></a> But if a would-be-thief possessed a lever from one Hayes-Apperson, others could be taken. French vehicles were hardly better in terms of being designed to thwart the unauthorized driver. In a De Dion-Bouton, a slightly tapered plug was used for opening the igniter circuit when turning off the car; this plug could be carried along in the pocket of a dismounted driver. Nevertheless, any button from any De Dion-Bouton would work. But who would suspect anyone from the car-owning aristocracy of the day to possibly covet his neighbor's horseless carriage? The motives of the often suspect chauffeur, or garage owner, were different matters, however.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> Aftermarket manufacturers and independent inventors soon got busy developing devices to satisfy the insecurities of a growing number of automobile owners. By 1905 the Auto Lock Company of Chicago began advertising its Oldsmobile Lock, claiming that "it locks everything (even while the motor is running), prevents theft and meddling. Once used, always used."<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[8]</span></span></span></a> In July of 1909, Orville M. Tustison of Bainbridge, Indiana, patented his "Circuit-Closer," employing a Yale-type lock with mechanical and electrical mechanisms that ultimately served as a spark coil kill switch. Located prominently on the dash board, Tustison's device was only as good as the Yale lock and box that housed the device.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[9]</span></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> These and other technological devices were also limited by the effectiveness of the local law enforcement of the day. Beginning around 1910, police procedure evolved only gradually, and one might surmise haphazardly, as the car theft problem became increasingly acute. In the best-organized police departments, the report of a stolen car first resulted in an entry into the department's log book. <a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[10]</span></span></span></a> Since there was little, if any, communication among police departments in those early days, standard procedures for exchanging information did not exist, and only rarely were theft reports transmitted to other regions. Therefore, it was normally left up to insurers or vehicle owners to publish and disseminate a reward offer, and get the word out that a particular vehicle had been stolen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> It was the insurance companies who took the early lead on the matter of auto theft. <span style="color: red;">During the summer of 1912 eleven insurance companies formed the Automobile Protective & Information Bureau with the purpose of disseminating material on specific stolen vehicles.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">[11]</span></span></span></a></span> Depending on a number of factors, rewards ranged from $25 to $500, and notices were often printed on an 8” x 10” manila card and then mailed to nearby police departments. A woodcut, obtained from a car dealer who had used the image for advertising purposes, was stamped on the "wanted poster" along with such details as the vehicle's color, size of tires, type of headlamps, and whether the vehicle had a windshield. Given the poor roads and durability of early cars, stolen vehicles were initially rarely taken beyond the radius of 150 miles, and thus mailings were confined to the near hinterlands from where the theft had occurred. And while there was the assumption that police would do their honest best to recover the vehicle, such was not always the case. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> One can only imagine, then, the consternation of automobilists when they learned that New York City police were neglecting auto theft cases.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[12]</span></span></span></a> Indeed, in 1914, according to the District Attorney's office, assigned detectives made no effort to pursue the criminals until insurance companies offered rewards. With that incentive, however, New York police garnered an extra $10,000 to $15,000 when they arrested twelve thieves and recovered twenty stolen cars. The reward system, also led to breaking the first auto theft ring on record. John Gargare, owner of a Lakewood, New Jersey, garage, was indicted on six counts of auto theft in 1914 by the same New York City District Attorney. Gargare and his accomplices specialized in Packards and Pierce-Arrows, demonstrating a preference for high-end vehicles that future professional auto thieves would often imitate. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> The failure of local law enforcement to stem the growing tide of thefts resulted in the insurance industry taking the lead. The private sector has remained active to this day in both gathering information on the crime and tracking down the crooks and cars. At the beginning of the Automobile Age insurance policies were typically issued for only fire and damage. A 1910 article in the <i>New York Times</i> commented that “A great many automobilists do not give enough consideration to the theft clause of the floating fire policy. Cars are stolen quite frequently, and it is seldom that the fire insurance companies are able to trace the cars, consequently they are compelled to pay a total loss under the policy.”<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[13]</span></span></span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"> Losses became so great that two years later, in 1912, the National Automobile Theft Bureau (NATB) was established as an arm of the National Automobile Underwriters Conference. Supported by member insurance companies, the NATB resulted in a private police force and a nation-wide information bureau that overlapped with governmental authorities.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[14]</span></span></span></a> NATB personnel trained police officers and encouraged the standardization of stolen car information<span style="color: red;">. And contrary to the assertions that the auto industry was neglectful of the auto theft problem, in a contentious reorganization of the NATB in 1926, it was A.C.Anderson, GM's General Comptroller, who forcefully brokered the unification of regional insurance interests into what emerged as national agency.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;">[15]</span></span></span></a></span> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The relationship between the NATB and local police was often tenuous, since the boundary between private and public was being crossed. With a wealth of expertise in matters related to automobile identification and the methods of criminals, NATB agents educated local police with little direct knowledge in these matters, and were active in the establishment of dedicated auto theft investigative units within police departments.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn16" name="_ftnref16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[16]</span></span></span></a> Yet just as the police from time to time did not escape charges of lack of motivation and corruption, insurance personnel also were subject to the temptation to personally profit from stolen cars. For example, in 1914 a chauffeur and an insurance adjuster, working together, were accused of making a small fortune in the business of hot cars.<a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftn17" name="_ftnref17" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[17]</span></span></span></a></span></p><div><br clear="all" /><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div id="ftn1"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>The Horseless Age</i>, (February, 6, 1901), 37.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn2"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>The Horseless Age</i>, 7(May 1903), 42<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn3"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[3]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Locking Devices,” <i>The Horseless Age</i>, (January 9, 1901), 19.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn4"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[4]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>The Horseless Age</i>, (February 6, 1901), 37.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn5"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[5]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>Ibid</i>, p.19<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn6"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[6]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>Ibid</i>, p.19<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn7"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[7]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> On the “chauffeur problem,” see Borg, <i>Auto Mechanics</i>, pp. 13-30. <span style="color: #c00000;">Edwin G. Klein's <i>The Stolen Automobile </i>(NewYork: Lenz & Reicker, 1919) featured a thief dressed as a chauffeur in an unlikely plot that ends in the recovery of the car and a chance romance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div><div id="ftn8"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[8]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>The Horseless Age</i>, volume 12, no. 3 xviii.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn9"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[9]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>U.S. Patent 928,824</i>, July 20, 1909.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn10"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[10]</span></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">National Automobile Theft Bureau<i>, 75th Anniversary 1912-1987</i> (N.P.: n.p., 1987), p.6.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div id="ftn11"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[11]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Fred J. Sauter, <i>The Origin of the National Automobile Theft Bureau</i> (N.P., 1949), p.3. On the history of the NATB, see <i>Articles of Association of the Automobile Underwriters Detective Bureau</i> (N.P.: n.p., n.d.[1917?].<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn12"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[12]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Allege that Police Work with Automobile Thieves," <i>The Horseless Age</i>, (April 22, 1914), 619.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn13"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[13]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “Auto Insurance Growing in Favor,” <i>New York Times</i>, April 24, 1910, p. XX5. On the topic of auto insurance, see Robert Riegel, "Automobile Insurance Rates," <i>Journal of Political Economy</i>, 25 (June, 1917), 561-579; H.P Stellwagen, "Automobile Insurance," <i>Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science,</i> 130 (March, 1927), 154-62.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn14"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[14]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> On the early history of the NATB, see <i>National Automobile Theft Bureau: 75<sup>th</sup> Anniversary, 1912-1987</i> (N.P., NATB, 1987).<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn15"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[15]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Sauter, p.6. See <i>Constitution and Contract Membership of the National Automobile Theft Bureau</i> (N.P.: n.p., 1928).<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div id="ftn16"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref16" name="_ftn16" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[16]</span></span></span></a> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">NATB, p.22.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div id="ftn17"><p class="MsoFootnoteText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0in;"><a href="applewebdata://431A9D74-215C-40CA-A883-2DB17BBF77F0#_ftnref17" name="_ftn17" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference" style="vertical-align: super;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">[17]</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “Two Under Arrest Name Auto Thieves,” <i>New York Times</i>, January 24, 1914, p. 2.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-51648247740945476082024-02-06T19:38:00.004-05:002024-02-06T20:02:33.768-05:00Recent Automobile Theft Statistics<br /><span style="font-size: large;">Most Frequently Stolen Vehicles in the U.S., by Model, 2022</span><br /><table class="tablesorter" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 8pt; font-variant-caps: normal; margin: 10px 0pt 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; table-layout: fixed; width: 736px;"><thead style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.4pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><th class="header" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #e6eeee; background-image: url("/sites/all/libraries/tablesorter/themes/blue/bg.gif"); background-position: right; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-spacing: 1px; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;"> </th><th class="header" colspan="2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #e6eeee; background-image: url("/sites/all/libraries/tablesorter/themes/blue/bg.gif"); background-position: right; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-spacing: 1px; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">All model years (1)</th><th class="header" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #e6eeee; background-image: url("/sites/all/libraries/tablesorter/themes/blue/bg.gif"); background-position: right; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-spacing: 1px; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;"> </th></tr><tr height="36" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 27pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><th class="header headerSortDown" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #8dbdd8; background-image: url("/sites/all/libraries/tablesorter/themes/blue/desc.gif"); background-position: right; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-spacing: 1px; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Rank</th><th class="header" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #e6eeee; background-image: url("/sites/all/libraries/tablesorter/themes/blue/bg.gif"); background-position: right; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-spacing: 1px; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Model</th><th class="header" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #e6eeee; background-image: url("/sites/all/libraries/tablesorter/themes/blue/bg.gif"); background-position: right; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-spacing: 1px; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Thefts</th><th class="header" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #e6eeee; background-image: url("/sites/all/libraries/tablesorter/themes/blue/bg.gif"); background-position: right; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-spacing: 1px; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Most common<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />model year stolen</th></tr></thead><tbody style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">1</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top; white-space: nowrap;">Chevrolet Full Size Pick-up </td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">49,903</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2004</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Ford Full Size Pick-up</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">48,175</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2006</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">3</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Honda Civic</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">27,113</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2000</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">4</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Honda Accord</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">27,089</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">1997</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">5</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Hyundai Sonata</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">21,707</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2013</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">6</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Hyundai Elantra</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">19,602</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2017</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">7</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Kia Optima</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">18,221</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2015</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">8</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Toyota Camry</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">17,094</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2021</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">9</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">GMC Full Size Pick-up</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">16,622</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2005</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">10</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">Honda CR-V</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">13,832</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">2001</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;">Auto Thefts in the U.S., 2011-2020 (F.B.I.)</span></b><br /><table class="tablesorter" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050; font-family: proxima-nova, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt; font-variant-caps: normal; margin: 10px 0pt 15px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; table-layout: fixed; width: 359px;"><tbody style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr class="odd" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Year</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Vehicles stolen</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Percent change</th></tr><tr class="even" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2011</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">716,508</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">-3.1%</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2012</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">723,186</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">0.9</td></tr><tr class="even" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2013</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">700,288</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">-3.2</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2014</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">686,803</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">-1.9</td></tr><tr class="even" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2015</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">713,063</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">3.8</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2016</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">767,290</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">7.6</td></tr><tr class="even" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2017</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">772,943</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">0.7</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2018</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">751,904</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">-2.7</td></tr><tr class="even" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2019</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">724,872</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">-3.6</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 13.2pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: top;">2020</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">810,400</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #f0f0f6; box-sizing: border-box; color: #3d3d3d; margin: 0px; padding: 4px; text-align: right; vertical-align: top;">11.8</td></tr></tbody></table><h2 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050; font-family: proxima-nova, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.17; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">Top 10 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas By Motor Vehicle Theft Rate, 2022 </h2><div><br /></div><div><table style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; color: black; font-variant-caps: normal; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; table-layout: fixed; width: 695px;"><thead style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">Rank</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">Metropolitan statistical area (1)</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;">Theft rate (2)</th></tr></thead><tbody style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr class="odd" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">1</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Pueblo, CO</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">1,086.44 </td></tr><tr class="even" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">2</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Bakersfield, CA</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">1,072.36 </td></tr><tr class="odd" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">3</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">1,062.67 </td></tr><tr class="even" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">4</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Memphis, TN-MS-AR</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">845.68 </td></tr><tr class="odd" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">5</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; white-space: nowrap;">Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">796.94 </td></tr><tr class="even" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">6</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Albuquerque, NM</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">795.18 </td></tr><tr class="odd" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">7</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">758.68 </td></tr><tr class="even" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">8</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">699.30 </td></tr><tr class="odd" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">9</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Greeley, CO</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">589.42 </td></tr><tr class="even" height="19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; height: 14.25pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">10</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Kansas City, MO-KS</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">572.67 </td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span face="proxima-nova, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050; font-size: 11px;">(1) Metropolitan Statistical Areas are designated by the federal Office of Management and Budget and usually include areas much larger than the cities for which they are named.</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050; font-family: proxima-nova, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span face="proxima-nova, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050; font-size: 11px;">(2) Rate of vehicle thefts reported per 100,000 people based on U.S. Census Population Estimates.</span></div><div><span face="proxima-nova, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050; font-size: 11px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="proxima-nova, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); color: #505050; font-size: 11px;"><br /></span></div><div></div><div class="content clearfix" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(80, 80, 80); clear: both; color: #505050; float: none; font-family: proxima-nova, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; width: 801.171875px;"><div class="field field-name-field-table field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="field-items" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="field-item even" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="table-wrapper" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px solid rgb(8, 44, 69); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; max-height: 95vh; max-width: 95vw; overflow-x: auto; padding: 0px;"><h2 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.17; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;">Top 10 States With The Most Number Of Motor Vehicle Thefts, 2021-2022</h2><div><br /></div><div><table style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; table-layout: fixed; width: auto;"></table><br /><br /><table style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border: medium; color: #505050; font-size: 14px; font-variant-caps: normal; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative; table-layout: fixed; width: 679px;"><thead style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top;"><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Rank</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">State</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">2022 (1)</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">2021</th><th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #082c45; border-bottom-color: currentcolor; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-spacing: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom; white-space: nowrap;">Percent change<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />2021-2022</th></tr></thead><tbody style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">1</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">California</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">202,685</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">201,034</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">1%</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">2</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Texas</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">105,015</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">95,082</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">10</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">3</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Washington</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">46,939</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">35,921</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">31</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">4</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Florida</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">45,973</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">43,250</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">6</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">5</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Colorado</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">42,237</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">38,570</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">10</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">6</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Illinois</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">38,649</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">28,677</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">35</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">7</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Ohio</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">29,913</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">28,107</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">6</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">8</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Missouri</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">29,345</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">26,630</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">10</td></tr><tr class="odd" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">9</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">New York</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">28,292</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">23,088</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">23</td></tr><tr class="even" height="20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #eeeeee; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 15pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0.1em 0.6em; vertical-align: top;"><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">10</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px;">Georgia<br /><br /></td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">26,529</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;">26,238</td><td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #cdd0d5; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 3px 5px; text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fx49CIIg1bEo4V4xGxw7OpUoM3gZa5IS15bsiE8ODoHVVPm_iI8qIlvpQYXe0xmiGiirF62imsVVVNo0xAQU3tqCzY5L3uOlwe0hpMtDwdXHLcy4SXCOsWuXgrw4xno47dEyAbwAnJosaGQdKcXIn3hY809K6p2NbQMSINNiuO_d4De6sn8x4qrpJmI/s640/statistics-2899893_640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9fx49CIIg1bEo4V4xGxw7OpUoM3gZa5IS15bsiE8ODoHVVPm_iI8qIlvpQYXe0xmiGiirF62imsVVVNo0xAQU3tqCzY5L3uOlwe0hpMtDwdXHLcy4SXCOsWuXgrw4xno47dEyAbwAnJosaGQdKcXIn3hY809K6p2NbQMSINNiuO_d4De6sn8x4qrpJmI/s320/statistics-2899893_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-33693874675168005702024-02-05T18:13:00.003-05:002024-02-05T18:17:50.696-05:00When Car Theft is Most Dangerous and Can Lead to Murder<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QxKoRnm6EyE" width="320" youtube-src-id="QxKoRnm6EyE"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Beginning in the 1990s, the United States focused on means to combat auto theft by adopting aggressive measures to counter the growing violence, developing databases and creating new forms of interagency communication. The 1992 Anti-Car Theft Act made armed auto theft, or “carjacking,” a federal crime. Two years later, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act made carjacking resulting in death an federal rime punishable by death. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>That did not deter the criminal whose actions led to the death of former Trump administration member Mike Gill from an untimely death.</b></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(63, 77, 85); color: #3f4d55; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px;">A former Trump official who was shot during a violent carjacking spree in Washington, D.C. on Monday night has passed away, Fox 5 DC reports. </span><a aria-label="" class="TrackingLink LinkWrapper" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-administration-official-mike-gill-in-critical-condition-after-being-shot-in-dc-carjacking-spree?ref=scroll" style="color: #02141f; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; transition: color 0.15s;">Mike Gill</a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(63, 77, 85); color: #3f4d55; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px;">, a married father of three who served in the Trump administration from 2016 to 2019, was described as in “very critical condition” in the wake of the shooting, and his wife, Kristina Gill, confirmed to Fox 5 on Saturday that he didn’t make it. “It is with profound sadness that I wish to inform the community of the passing of my husband,</span><a class="LinkWrapper LinkWrapper--external" href="https://www.fox5dc.com/news/mike-gill-carjacking-heres-what-we-know-about-the-man-critically-injured-in-dc-carjacking-rampage" style="color: #02141f; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px; transition: color 0.15s;"> </a><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(63, 77, 85); color: #3f4d55; font-family: Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px;">Mike Gill. His sudden departure has left a void in our lives that can never be filled,” she was quoted saying. “In this time of grief, we are grateful for the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and the community, and extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has reached out to offer condolences and assistance.” Gill had reportedly been waiting to pick Kristina up from work on Monday when he was attacked by a gunman who police say went on to carry out several more carjackings before being shot by cops.</span></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-75259865280773330652024-02-03T17:14:00.000-05:002024-02-03T17:14:02.758-05:00Automobile Theft in American History -- The Introduction to my Book Stealing CArs: Technology and Society from the Model T to Gran Torino<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;">Introduction – Park at Your Own Risk<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;">“What the hell does everybody want with my Gran Torino?”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <i>Gran Torino</i> (2008)<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBB6B91_LbYxmu2qEkdpfRO2HJXyn8Mj0X80vKaGNYABA5IqKqd53OXxQlyCyoKhllYflDuEqapPNc4BukeMhKIwVpiAJTqJPg6C1Fvjd2XKvTzYSrkY7Al5ZrBimUP6Srsutv1CH0nu85pk3af88IelSiJyq9B6NaZBCm2cQd5oKzxz1_e_Nt72IOmA/s300/StealingCarscoverimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBB6B91_LbYxmu2qEkdpfRO2HJXyn8Mj0X80vKaGNYABA5IqKqd53OXxQlyCyoKhllYflDuEqapPNc4BukeMhKIwVpiAJTqJPg6C1Fvjd2XKvTzYSrkY7Al5ZrBimUP6Srsutv1CH0nu85pk3af88IelSiJyq9B6NaZBCm2cQd5oKzxz1_e_Nt72IOmA/w640-h640/StealingCarscoverimage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Automobile theft is a crime at the margins of American life. Yet, it also reflects themes that are at the core of modern existence, and what it means to be human. For the thief, the act can be a vicarious experience. It is a moment that linguist Jeffrey T. Schnapp suggests vaults the perpetrator into "the world as its conqueror, rule 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. Additionally, the criminal, usually 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.<sup> 1</sup> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">Auto theft is such a common occurrence in America that we hardly take notice of it happening -- unless the car is ours. Yet insurance industry statistics tell us that in 2013 someone steals a car every 33 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 Phoenix, Arizona. Auto theft may not be central to our everyday lives, but is far from inconsequential, particularly when it relates directly to more serious crime. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Many Americans have directly or indirectly experienced the theft of a car, our most prized possession after our homes. Our personal experiences, however, capture only a portion of the complexity and changing nature of auto theft in the US from the early days to the present. Accordingly, several questions stand out: Who steals cars, why, and how has the crime changed over time? Is it the drug of speed and thrills, sovereign individualism, easy money, wanting what one does not have, race and class antagonisms, the need for transportation, repressed sexual impulses, boredom, or something else? Or is it, as anthropologist Sarah S. Lochlann Jain suggests almost laudatory where “freedom meets regulation and a potential for individuation rubs uneasily against actualized homogeneity?”<sup>2</sup> On the flip side, why did so many Americans up to and through the 1960s leave their keys in their cars, purportedly objects that were loved and often considered part of the family? In examining the design of automobiles, questions surface concerning what anti-theft measures were incorporated into the cars coming off the assembly line and why, as well as the thousands of inventors’ aftermarket technologies? Automobile theft has presented opportunities for inventors to not only create devices to thwart thieves, but also for thieves to use creative means to overcome ingenious locks and electronic alarms. And with the increasingly sophisticated technology and approaches to theft have come issues regarding who, what, and why of institutional responses. From the perspective of society and the built environment, an examination of why some places are hot spots for auto theft and others relatively safe begs to be explored. And in a transnational age, it is pertinent to ask how international forces work to the advantage of thieves? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> But why take time to tell this history at the margins? The narrative is not about luscious cars or creative engineers and businessmen, but about everyday people, both lawbreakers and victims. Fundamentally, however, it is a telling tale about a significant slice of the American past. The topic also fits well in the direction in which the recent historiography in automobile history seems to be going, away from a focus on producers and toward users, even if those users happen to be thieves and joy riders. And it illustrates one example of just how central the automobile has been to American life during the twentieth century and beyond. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Although, the meaning of<span style="color: red;"> </span>auto theft in the history of twentieth century American life remains somewhat unclear, one conclusion is that the auto thief steals an owner’s freedom, both literally and figuratively. Consequently, and as mentioned previously, movement is transformed into immobility, and vice-versa. As the Brazilian literary scholar Guilllermo Guicci has argued in a different context, the deed marks “the demise of an illusion and the loss of the hope of salvation through acceleration.”<sup>3</sup> Going a bit further and drawing on the insights of English sociologist John Urry, this sacred thing called the car is central to the modernization of urban life, including life’s disappointments. Movement, or kinetic modernity, cannot be understood however, according to Urry, without the conceptual mirror image twins of flexibility and coercion. Indeed, the history of auto theft links intimately to the interplay of these notions, and in this case some of those automotive users -- thieves unlucky enough to be caught -- end up with the ultimate loss of freedom, sentencing to jail or prison.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Thus, the history of automobile theft in twentieth century America bridges science, psychology, economics, technology, and society. As such, it helps one explore the foundations of criminal motives, techniques, and organization; the development of a variety of anti-theft technological countermeasures; the rise of institutional rejoinders from government, the insurance industry, and manufacturers; the environmental solutions created by city planners and architects; and finally, opportunities, challenges, and diplomatic and legal relations among nations in an international society. Additionally, it is a story that has taken place with recurring cycles. During every era authorities proclaimed that auto theft had been largely solved. Yet, subsequent to every announcement, new criminal strategies thwarted the best of efforts, and the problem became bigger than ever. Only in the recent past have we experienced a statistical decline in this criminal activity.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> Curiously, even though victims who feel personally violated abound and the cost of auto theft to Americans remains sky high, literature and film frequently lionizes the auto thief. The act often seems to be victimless--as long as the owner has insurance--and in cultural representations the professional car thief appears as a clever hero, satisfying personal urges that reflect the central values of traditional American car culture, namely, masculinity, status, and freedom. As long it is not our car, the bad guys are not so bad. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> For generations, historians focusing on the history of the automobile in America have concentrated their efforts on themes commonly associated with the history of technology or business. These scholars have also been decidedly “American-centric;” namely, their work rarely crosses national or continental boundaries. Traditionally automobile history has been descriptive of the cars themselves or of individuals associated with them, rarely probing either with broad brush strokes or interpretatively. During the past decade, however, a "new" automotive history has gradually emerged, one that explores users rather than producers, and in so doing delves into various interstices that include operation, repair, tinkering, safety, and the environment. And crime, more specifically in this case auto theft, fits in one of those niches that reflect go beyond tight bounds to reflect a much larger scene. This study follows along the lines of these contemporary scholars and others who emphasize history from the bottom up, yet who also focus on the importance of nations, government, and culture in mediating the relationship between technology and society. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> The plan of this book largely follows a chronological path. It begins with an examination of American auto theft from the early era to the onset of World War II, during which a number of recurrent themes appeared: high incidences of thefts; joy riders behind the wheel for the thrills or convenience of travel; hardened professional criminals in it for money; governments expanding at all levels to preserve order; inventors devising apparatus to stymie the thieves; and technology appearing to be triumphant, but only for a moment. The following chapter continues along these lines to 1980, when the problem of theft became so significant that authorities and manufacturers stepped up both legal sanctions and technological security devices. By means of walls, gates, and cameras, designers and planners tried to devise “defensible spaces” that would protect cars and people from criminals. In spite of these efforts, auto theft in anything climbed during the 1980s. Technology once again appeared to solve this social problem, this time thanks to digital electronic security measures. An entire chapter discusses the digital age--the evolution of the automobile as an electronic system--and its long-term effect on patterns of auto theft. Because an increasingly caffeinated, digitized, and interconnected age has compressed space and made borders more porous than ever, car theft has become a major problem along the US-Mexico border. Gangs, drugs, and cars have resulted in California’s becoming the hot spot for auto theft, displacing both Detroit and Newark, New Jersey. Auto theft has rarely been an isolated illegal activity. During the 1920s it was intimately tied to Prohibition, in the 1930s to bank robberies, and in more recent times to gangs and drugs, and perhaps terrorism. <i>Stealing Cars</i> ends with a survey of the recent past, tracing the recent history of automobile theft in an age when numbers of stolen cars declines but criminal methods grow vastly more sophisticated and increasingly based on computer and electromagnetic technologies. Auto theft has always been a game, intellectually and in terms of technique, but only recently has it become an activity that electronic games simulate and young adults in their 20s and 30s, not to mention children after school, played by the millions.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #c00000;"> </span>While this study centers on the American scene, it makes no claim of American exceptionalism. Like so many other aspects of modern life that have globalized of late, increasingly automobile theft has become a complex transnational issue, with important localized differences tied to opportunity, incentives, political systems, local policing, and culture.<sup>12</sup> As long as the automobile remains an object of desire, and the rhetoric of freedom collides with hyper-regulation, it is doubtful that the challenge of ending auto theft will ever be totally solved, no matter what deterrent technologies are introduced. Human beings always seem to be clever enough to circumvent the most sophisticated of anti-theft devices, and probably always will. After all, the human spirit both legally and illegally thrives on overcoming challenges that act to separate, regulate, and restrain it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">John Heitmann first uncovered the historical topic of auto theft when piecing together sections of what became <i>The Automobile and American Life</i> (McFarland, 2009). He was astonished at the scale of pre-World War II auto theft, fascinated with the characters involved, and captivated by a host of deterrent technologies that were introduced to supposedly solve the problem. It was an unlikely story about cars, anti-theft devices, teenagers, hardened criminals, the police, the insurance industry, and J. Edgar Hoover. Rebecca Morales, with her extensive knowledge of the international automobile industry, Latin America, and Mexico in particular, minorities in the U.S., and the built environment, came in later, to round out the picture.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> Both authors directly or indirectly experienced the theft of a car, our most prized possession after our homes. The first time this occurred in John Heitmann's life was in 1980 when someone tried unsuccessfully to steal his green 1973 Ford Pinto from the Pimlico Park and Ride in Baltimore. To this day he wonders why someone would want to take that car, especially since by then the word was out about the Pinto's propensity upon rear impact to have its gas tank explode and fry its occupants by having the doors jam. But the thief was thwarted because he did not stick the screwdriver deep enough into the mechanism before trying to force it to unlock. The second occasion involved his 1979 Malibu Classic, parked at a Sears Hardware Store near my home in Centerville, Ohio. Leaving the store after purchasing a fastener, he was surprised to find a swarthy, curly-headed guy trying to start the car! After walking up to the scene, Heitmann was puzzled when the culprit quickly explained that he had tried to start a car identical to his. A very unlikely story but, in shock, Heitmann allowed the quick-witted thief to walk away. Rebecca has a different set of stories that involved auto theft in her life. She had her 1991 Acura Integra stolen three times in front of her home in San Diego -- the first two times by joy riders and the last time by professionals who left behind a stripped carcass. Now as a twist of irony, she may be driving a car that could have been stolen and subjected to what the FBI calls "cloning," or creating a “new” car from stolen parts -- a process that is becoming increasingly common with the growing internationalization of auto theft.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"> These personal experiences capture the only a portion of the complexity and changing nature of auto theft in the U.S. from the early days to the present. Together, the authors explore how auto theft has occurred over time, why, by whom, and the responses to it. It is a history of technology, but also of a society that is continuously assaulted by law-<a name="_GoBack"></a>breakers, and constantly regrouping to meet the challenge. At the same time, we as Americans, surely influenced by our culture, are conflicted over whether to demonize the thief or applaud his or her ingenuity and courage.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page;" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>1</sup> Jeffrey T. Schnapp, “Driven,” <i>Qui Parle</i> 13 (Fall/Winter, 2001): 138.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>2</sup> Sarah S. Lochlann Jain, “ ‘Dangerous Instrumentality’ The Bystander as a Subject in Automobility,” <i>Cultural Anthropology</i> 19 (February 2004): 61.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>3</sup> Guillermo Giucci, et al., <i>The Cultural Life of the Automobile: Roads to Modernity</i> (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2012), xi-xiv.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>4</sup> James J. Flink and John B. Rae, leading automotive historians of the last generation, do not specifically mention auto theft. Professor Flink, however, did touch on broader themes cogent to the story. In his <i>America Adopts the Automobile, 1895-1910,</i> Flink addressed issues of government response and regulation that are directly related to important thematic currents in this study. As it turns out, patterns related to auto theft measures established at the birth of the automobile generally stayed on course for more than half a century, with unsatisfactory results. See James J. Flink, <i>America Adopts the Automobile, 1895-1910</i> (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1970), Chapters 4 and 6. Ashleigh Brilliant's, <i>The Great Car Craze: How Southern California Collided With the Automobile in the 1920s</i> (Santa Barbara, CA: Woodbridge Press, 1989), 42-45, 119. Brilliant's work, largely overlooked for several decades before it was published in 1989, foreshadowed a transition that is currently taking place in the historiography of the automobile in America. Social and cultural history is increasingly supplementing the largely descriptive scholarship that is still favored by many auto history buffs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>5</sup> David Wolcott, “The Cop will Get You: The Police and Discretionary Juvenile Justice, 1890-1940,” <i>Journal of Social History</i> 35 (Winter 2001): 349-71. Claire Bond Potter, <i>War on Crime: Bandits, G-Men, and the Politics of Mass Culture</i>(New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1998), 3-6, 13, 36, 38, 41, 44, 60-65. For an overview on crime and society, see also Eric H. Monkkonen, <i>Crime, Justice, History</i> (Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press, 2002), and by the same author, <i>Police in America, 1860-1920</i> (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1981).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>6</sup> E.J. Hobsbawm, <i>Social Bandits and Primitive Rebels</i> (Glencoe, IL: Free Press, 1960).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>7</sup> <span style="line-height: 32px;">Ronald V. Clarke and Patricia M. Harris, “Auto Theft and Its Prevention,” <i>Crime and Justice</i> 16 (1992): 2.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>8</sup> Ibid., 2.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>9</sup> Andrew A. Karmen, “Auto Theft and Corporate Responsibility,” <i>Contemporary Crises</i> 5 (1981): 63-81.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>10</sup> See U.S. House of Representatives, 90<sup>th</sup> Cong., 2d sess., Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee No. 5. <i>Hearings: Auto Theft Prevention Act of 1968</i> (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1968).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>11</sup> Quoted in Karmen, 66.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 32px; margin: 0in;"><sup>12</sup> Jurg Gerber and Martin Killas, “The Transnationalization of Historically Local Crime: Auto Theft in Western Europe and Russia Markets,” <i>European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice</i> 11 (2003): 215-26; Philip Gounev and Tihomir Bezlov, “From the Economy of Deficit to the Black Market: Car Theft and Trafficking in Bulgaria,” <i>Trends in Organized Crime</i> 11 (2008): 410-29; Ragavan Chitra, “Why Auto Theft is Going Global,” <i>U.S. News & World Report</i>126, June 14, 1999, 16.<o:p></o:p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-59742673615610114382024-02-03T09:29:00.004-05:002024-02-03T09:33:08.351-05:00The Kia Boys and Ignition Lock Vulnerability<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bTeVgfPM0Xw" width="320" youtube-src-id="bTeVgfPM0Xw"></iframe></div><br /> This video contains valuable information you should know about if you own a Kia, 2011-22, and are worried about theft. These crimes are really nothing more than a game, sort of like in the old days stealing Ford Pintos by jamming a screwdriver into the ignition system. I imagine Kia recovery rates are quite high. But as in the video, once a car is stolen and then recovered to the owner. the owner does not want his or her once-beloved vehicle back again. They feel violated. <p></p><p>As lone as punishment for these crimes is minimal, this kind of joyriding + activity will continue. And of course, these cars are perfect for use involving another crime.</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); color: #4d5156; font-family: "Google Sans", arial, sans-serif;">According to the California Highway Patrol's 2021 Vehicle Theft report, roughly </span><span style="background-color: rgba(80, 151, 255, 0.18); color: #040c28; font-family: "Google Sans", arial, sans-serif;">88.1%</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); color: #4d5156; font-family: "Google Sans", arial, sans-serif;"> of stolen vehicles in California were recovered.</span></span></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-49917664802131491782024-02-02T20:40:00.002-05:002024-02-02T20:40:29.006-05:00What a Clever Engineer Can Learn About thefts from Cars in San Francisco<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iWWWyG5ZwG8" width="320" youtube-src-id="iWWWyG5ZwG8"></iframe></div><br /> A very interesting and informative video. I never thought about fencing operations and how that fits in auto theft, especially when the act is about what is taken inside a car rather than the car itself. How much does local government really want to clamp down on auto theft by committing time and resources to quench the high volume of crime?<p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-79646528355635050772024-02-02T20:17:00.004-05:002024-02-02T20:17:51.011-05:00A New Approach by NYPD to Reducing Car Theft on Staten Island <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VYQdKLviWU4" width="320" youtube-src-id="VYQdKLviWU4"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><p>This news video reveals a different approach to combating car theft -- slowing traffic and catching thieves in a traffic jam orchestrated by the police. Additionally, careful surveillance of plates and plate readers make a difference. Thus, it is not just about onboard technology, alarms of other deterrents I the car, but rather thoughtful and dedicated police strategies that make a real difference.</p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-72192274145885870422024-02-02T20:09:00.002-05:002024-02-02T20:09:51.852-05:00You Might Risk Your Life for Your Dog -- Riding on the Thieves" Car Hood<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DfxcorzsEEU" width="320" youtube-src-id="DfxcorzsEEU"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Hell yes, I would kill somebody if they stole my cat! But my Subaru -- I doubt it! What we love determines what will will do to make sure we do not lose it. In an America that is reft with loneliness and selfishness, and where individuality reigns supreme. those we love get our ultimate devotion.</p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-3605573852870979972024-02-02T20:02:00.001-05:002024-02-02T20:02:17.261-05:00Car Theft by Hacking -- It is Now Commonplace<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sO2vFzuitDo" width="320" youtube-src-id="sO2vFzuitDo"></iframe></div><br /> Back in 2014, Rebecca Morales and I in our <i>Stealing Cars: From theModel T to Gran Torino </i>(Johns Hopkins Press) discussed the role of hackers as the new threat to auto thievery. It a well known possible technique back then, and really as early as 2011 in IEEE publications. But the industry did not completely follow through on the threat -- and note that the above video was done only several weeks ago! There is a pandemic of auto thefts in the U.S. and Canada, some of it due to sloppy theft deterrents, some of it the consequence of a lack of serious priorities from manufacturers. And of course there are careless owners.<p></p><p>But I also think in many cases the rise in auto thefts is many Americans really just see there cars as an appliance, like a toaster, and don’t take special steps to protect them. As longs it is insured, do you really care if someone takes your crossover or SUV?</p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-47283595364844313372024-02-01T14:38:00.001-05:002024-02-01T14:38:04.795-05:00Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton to Part Ways after the 2024 Season<p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "MBCorpo S Text", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "MBCorpo S Text", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "MBCorpo S Text", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlvp3b4F-tDDztf3SX_4-xZiFDAydflYwJpNUQ3reDYfVf3nlhyphenhyphen6PhW7SWWUGGKsNRtVg_9mR-dZRqhbu_lilJht4S54PulqEB-vdg3vzYZSI_4ShuT2618tl-9SRQEH4uufVDPQGvHVCvWc1Gwh3hVixRPF9d1opWQPXTWEYCCpOKwPskMvseZEpU1E/s4000/M383553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2667" data-original-width="4000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlvp3b4F-tDDztf3SX_4-xZiFDAydflYwJpNUQ3reDYfVf3nlhyphenhyphen6PhW7SWWUGGKsNRtVg_9mR-dZRqhbu_lilJht4S54PulqEB-vdg3vzYZSI_4ShuT2618tl-9SRQEH4uufVDPQGvHVCvWc1Gwh3hVixRPF9d1opWQPXTWEYCCpOKwPskMvseZEpU1E/w640-h426/M383553.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team and Lewis Hamilton will part ways at the end of the 2024 season. Lewis has activated a release option in the contract announced last August and this season will therefore be his last driving for the Silver Arrows. The news brings an end to what is currently a 17-year long relationship in F1 with Mercedes-Benz and an 11-year long partnership with the works team.<p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "MBCorpo S Text", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px;">Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, commented: “In terms of a team-driver pairing, our relationship with Lewis has become the most successful the sport has seen, and that’s something we can look back on with pride; Lewis will always be an important part of Mercedes motorsport history. However, we knew our partnership would come to a natural end at some point, and that day has now come. We accept Lewis’s decision to seek a fresh challenge, and our opportunities for the future are exciting to contemplate. But for now, we still have one season to go, and we are focused on going racing to deliver a strong 2024.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "MBCorpo S Text", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px;">Lewis Hamilton added: “I have had an amazing 11 years with this team and I'm so proud of what we have achieved together. Mercedes has been part of my life since I was 13 years old. It's a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I'm excited to be taking on a new challenge. I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together. I am 100% committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember.”</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: "MBCorpo S Text", sans-serif; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 30px;"><br /></p><table style="border: medium; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; display: block; font-family: "MBCorpo S Text", sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-variant-caps: normal; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; overflow-x: auto; padding-bottom: 30px; width: 720px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 10px;"><tr style="background-color: #f8f8f8; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 10px;"><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 144.140625px;" width="74"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></strong></p></td><td colspan="8" style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 838.765625px;" width="527"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Lewis Hamilton – Career Stats So Far</span></strong></p></td></tr><tr style="background-color: white; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 10px;"><td colspan="2" style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 146.140625px;" width="122"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 109.90625px;" width="68"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Starts</span></strong></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 123.90625px;" width="59"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Drivers‘ Titles</span></strong></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 100.671875px;" width="67"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wins</span></strong></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 130.375px;" width="73"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Podiums</span></strong></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 136.015625px;" width="74"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pole Positions</span></strong></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 104px;" width="67"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Front rows</span></strong></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 119.890625px;" width="71"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fastest laps</span></strong></p></td></tr><tr style="background-color: #f8f8f8; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 10px;"><td colspan="2" style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 146.140625px;" width="122"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">MB Power</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 109.90625px;" width="68"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">332</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 123.90625px;" width="59"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 100.671875px;" width="67"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">103</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 130.375px;" width="73"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">197</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 136.015625px;" width="74"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">104</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 104px;" width="67"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">175</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 119.890625px;" width="71"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">65</span></p></td></tr><tr style="background-color: white; border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding-bottom: 10px;"><td colspan="2" style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 146.140625px;" width="122"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team</span></p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 109.90625px;" width="68"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">222</p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 123.90625px;" width="59"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">6</p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 100.671875px;" width="67"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">82</p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 130.375px;" width="73"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">148</p></td><td style="border: medium; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 20px 30px 10px; width: 136.015625px;" width="74"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;">78</p></td></tr></tbody></table>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-36961948811626464082024-01-26T16:13:00.001-05:002024-01-26T16:13:16.303-05:00One Hell of a Ride -- "The Passenger,” 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IrCng9Xgvd0" width="320" youtube-src-id="IrCng9Xgvd0"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkSRR3CnMwf0pitiwafRiLPdj83-uwwVpaF_YsjeXPLgJL8yKHhJf7t-KBSazDRADMgak6jBKXTwY_Er9mNvpLBwY1mYIIdZrHjlJB-CPhbFrbPFqgAtu_mDv1ZfoKQTL_z4dLvWkOThC-cdAE2HT75oaKhD0HZvqIAo4QSvrjYdl3M0XcZGgkBX1OhA/s383/The_Passenger_(2023)_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="259" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkSRR3CnMwf0pitiwafRiLPdj83-uwwVpaF_YsjeXPLgJL8yKHhJf7t-KBSazDRADMgak6jBKXTwY_Er9mNvpLBwY1mYIIdZrHjlJB-CPhbFrbPFqgAtu_mDv1ZfoKQTL_z4dLvWkOThC-cdAE2HT75oaKhD0HZvqIAo4QSvrjYdl3M0XcZGgkBX1OhA/w432-h640/The_Passenger_(2023)_poster.jpg" width="432" /></a></div><br /><p>Currently a serious question exists about the relatively poor performance in higher education and professional careers of young American males. Their apathy, lack of ambition, and social isolation have resulted in more females than males enrolled in colleges and universities and in the pursuit of valued careers. The main character in this film, Randolph Bradley (Johnny Berchold), is outwardly competent, but inwardly weak of character. That is, until a fateful day when he is forced to confront his past and assert himself. What does constitute a remarkable life? Can an ordinary person like a black waitress have a remarkable life? </p><p>The film, shot in New Orleans and surroundings, is not special in terms of scenery or architecture despite the location. What transpired could have taken place anywhere. So too the car is 1970s Detroit iron of little or no interest. However, the driver and passenger are the focus of this psychological drama. The plot and narrative are simply powerful, with little fluff.</p><p>At the start, Randy Bradley wakes up to get to the fast food restaurant where he begins work with a disinterested manager, two yahoos, a male and female who don’t mind displaying public affection, and a rather mysterious co-worker who is cleaning up before opening. Randy is told by his manager that he is different from the others and has a future, although one wonders what that might be in this burger joint or another store. Randy is quiet, possessing a rather fearful visage and mannerisms, not surprising when we learn of his inner turmoil. But that inner world is about be be challenged as never before, when after being bullied, Benson snaps and kills the two coworkers and porn-watching manager. The bloodied bodies are moved to the walk-in freezer with Randy’s reluctant help, and the short road trip begins! </p><p>The drive takes us through flat land and fields, as one might expect in rural Louisiana. After a quickstep at Benson’s home to get cigarettes, The pair first visit Randy’s former girlfriend at her work, where we learn that he was dropped because of his apathy. Then the scene moves to the high school, where after getting the address of Randy’s 2nd grade teacher in a rage, Benson beats to near death the vice principal . The teacher, Miss Beard (Liza Weil) has one eye, the consequence of a fit of anger on Randy’s past years ago when he threw an eraser at her. A very attractive womnan wearing an eye patch, her life was ruined (although after seeing Randy again she will alter that interpretation), as was Randy’s. That traumatic event is why Randy is so fearful, insecure, and internal frozen to confront life as it is. Finally Benson, is about to shoot this teacher in her living room when Randy steps in, asserts himself against the evil that is Benson, and becomes a strong human being. It is that moment of decision that changes everything. </p><p>One decision can change your world. Our character is the sum of our decisions, but there is always time to focus on God, the universal Redeemer inside each of us, and transform yourself in a most positive way. Thus a rather dark film can illuminate a troubled soul -- perhaps that is you!</p><p><br /></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-50005495158982407362024-01-25T17:25:00.002-05:002024-01-25T17:25:53.058-05:00Impressions from Watching "Fast X:” Or Why Cars and Drivers No Longer Matter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eoOaKN4qCKw" width="320" youtube-src-id="eoOaKN4qCKw"></iframe></div><br /> I finally caught “Fast X” after it was made available on Prime the other day. I loved the early to mid-Fast and Furious Franchise releases, but this one didn’t sit well with me. Maybe I am just getting too old.<p></p><p>That said, I am very interested in themes central to "Fast X” beyond automobile culture and history -- family, honor, legacy, loyalty. It’s these Biblical notions that have drawn me to these films -- although the speed can cars were a part of my fascination as well. There is a touching moment with a cross, but it is just a moment, and the meaning can be easily lost.</p><p>This film was the fifth highest grossing film of 2023, and over $350 million was spent on making it. It is star studded -- with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriquez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludicrous” Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Daniella Melchior, Alan Richardson, Helen Mirren, Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, Jason Stathem, Jason Momoa (the bad guy who might as well be a clown at times), and Charlize Theron.</p><p>The car featured electric Dodge Chargers, along with a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, Lamborghini Gallardo, Alfa Romeo 159, and a Porsche 911 997 GT3 RS. And then there is the bad guy’s Chevrolet Impala. </p><p>The scenes were exotic -- Rome, Turn, Portugal and more. But the settings are so blurred with high-powered action. Is this what life is all about now -- a quick rush, but not an introspective sensitivity?</p><p>The line that stuck with me was that in our own time cars and drivers no long matter -- how true that might be with autonomous vehicles on the horizon and being introduced currently. But the real problem I had was that the themes of honor, family, etc. were diluted to a large degree by the silliness, distractions, pace so fast that it was seen as frenetic for this old man. </p><p>There can be too much of a good thing, and I believe this movie demonstrates that point. Vin, as you bring this series to an end, slow down some. </p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-37723206392996689322024-01-20T18:51:00.006-05:002024-01-21T10:52:13.495-05:00One Great Jaguar XK-E Film -- “52 Pick-Up"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZOSrd7aNwAM" width="320" youtube-src-id="ZOSrd7aNwAM"></iframe></div><br />This 1986 film was surprisingly good, and I am surprised that many of the critics rated this film rather low, RoySchneider (Harry Mitchell) and Ann-Margaret give us first rate performances, with a touching ending. But from my perspective, the star of the film was a Jaguar 3.8 XK-E. The car is as sexy as the women in the film, and a symbol of 1980s SoCal wealth and white privilege. It is also symbolic of Harry Mitchell’s life -- a shining example of the self-made man. Mitchell had restored it to it’s present glory. It goes where ever he goes. It exudes wealth and class. And it has one bad radio speaker, but a fabulous Alpine radio. And when the explosion destroys it and the end of the film, it is symbolic of a new life and renewed marriage in the wake of sheer terror. <div><br /></div><div>The vehicle is featured throughout the movie, is often mentioned, and parlayed into a blackmail payment. Also the ends the bad guy Alan’s extortion plan and life, with a lockdown of the evil protagonist before a fiery, final explosion. The frontal nudity in this flick is tantalizing, Ann-Margaret is fetching, and Schneider’s character is believable. If there was one unbelievable moment it is the lockdown at the ending, as door locks, window controls and more are far more effective than I believe probable and possible. <div>In sum, overall it is an entertaining and at times sexy movie with a great car at the center of the story. The moral of the story, however, is important. Any of us are one bad decision from living a hellish life, however, the consequences of a foolish and fleshly sin!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUL7ZWKP1-gO1ceiz7GeVgYcvPdATTgRjVRfzZn9muQS2OIHvRROCeCjIAu7pueM6Nlb-Z9ut-NKKcCVSdf0ve9AiXeoF8g0inBAOEDrEiqjPIGFwojIx5a9uNZYjQIrX7RLFR1K0iKmPWIfwLOxvTDl4GX1C66i-ug1lqAvII7xsz5DrC6ujy9aApV0s/s918/jagxke1965.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="918" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUL7ZWKP1-gO1ceiz7GeVgYcvPdATTgRjVRfzZn9muQS2OIHvRROCeCjIAu7pueM6Nlb-Z9ut-NKKcCVSdf0ve9AiXeoF8g0inBAOEDrEiqjPIGFwojIx5a9uNZYjQIrX7RLFR1K0iKmPWIfwLOxvTDl4GX1C66i-ug1lqAvII7xsz5DrC6ujy9aApV0s/w640-h348/jagxke1965.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><p></p><div><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;"><b>Plot summary from Wikipedia</b></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;">Harry Mitchell is a successful construction magnate living LA, whose wife Barbara is running forcity council. One day, Harry is confronted by three hooded blackmailers who demand $105,000 per year for a videotape of him and his mistress, a young stripper named Cini. Because of his wife's political aspirations, he cannot go to the police; however, guilt eventually drives him to confess, and she kicks him out of their bedroom. </p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;">Harry's stubborn inclination is to not surrender to the threats, and when his lawyer advises him that the blackmailers will never leave him alone, he refuses to pay. The lead blackmailer breaks into Harry's house and steals Harry's gun and some items of his clothing. Later, the trio kidnap Harry and force him to watch a video of Cini being murdered with Harry's own gun. They demand $105,000 a year for the rest of Harry's life in exchange for their silence. Harry, however, vows to get revenge.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;">Using deduction and his business contacts, Harry tracks down and confronts Alan Raimy, the leader of the blackmailers and an amateur adult filmmaker. Knowing he has a background in accounting, Harry shows Raimy his financial records, which indicate that the majority of his wealth is tied up and he can't afford $105,000. Raimy agrees to accept Harry's offer of $52,000 instead, at least as a first payment. </p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;">Through Doreen, a stripper who was friends with Cini, Harry learns the names of the other blackmailers: the sociopathic Bobby Shy and the cowardly Leo. He first makes Raimy suspicious by suggesting Leo gave up his name; Bobby, realizing the truth, violently interrogates Doreen but believes her when she says she didn't give him away. That night he breaks into the Mitchell house and tries to kill Harry, but Harry and Barbara overpower him. Harry realizes Raimy kept the revised deal to himself and tells Bobby as much before letting him go.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;">Leo, cracking under the pressure, confesses everything to Harry, saying he never wanted to hurt Cini and that both her body and the videotape have been disposed of. He also warns him that Raimy and Bobby will kill him and Barbara after the payment is made, since he knows who they are. Bobby later confronts Leo, who is planning to leave town, and kills him. Meanwhile, Raimy kidnaps Barbara and sedates her with drugs, to ensure Harry delivers the $52,000. He lures Bobby and Doreen to a warehouse and kills both of them before going to meet Harry.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;">Harry exchanges the money for Barbara, telling Raimy that if anything happens to them, his lawyer will send Raimy's fingerprints (from the financial records) to the police. Raimy had previously expressed interest in Harry’s sports car, so Harry offers it as a getaway vehicle. When Raimy turns the ignition key the doors lock, trapping him inside; the car then explodes in a ball of fire</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMMtCV3ccqCQB15K9ilSbQd1oPmsUFgBzGEc-EEVpCgoglJiYaaGdR-h2jibaCKsCHzhgEPRhsvi7N_f-otIiUCMafUy7S-t0P9UtETjxMqsGLzZiLxuAjuvesdYLZp1il10PH3PodqdLpqKuO94ARMagj6JW76WuZxRvJq7klaHZ88cueMXU7B891eY/s400/52_Pick-Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMMtCV3ccqCQB15K9ilSbQd1oPmsUFgBzGEc-EEVpCgoglJiYaaGdR-h2jibaCKsCHzhgEPRhsvi7N_f-otIiUCMafUy7S-t0P9UtETjxMqsGLzZiLxuAjuvesdYLZp1il10PH3PodqdLpqKuO94ARMagj6JW76WuZxRvJq7klaHZ88cueMXU7B891eY/w420-h640/52_Pick-Up.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><p style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 34); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px 1em;"><br /></p></div></div></div>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-73661151732888170822024-01-02T18:13:00.005-05:002024-01-02T18:16:38.546-05:00BYD -- Build Your Dream -- the Leader in Electric Car Sales Worldwide<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwFH0vlKxDvdZQ3_oPinGycOtJeLNrDJKiCOA-9fOt5GkTFPuq4wjyGs7d19EZoX_b_NkTsMFiQpotzoOxlbEuQCv0RGWv9_7UYV4l1FqS65QJV2jXG5Kh6lRSuRnZUFxZFlvcLVpxi-hbT-OGsrRz_J2alFOWjMDbAst-UpRCz89xw-3Tr6BxwV8fzs/s1024/2023_%D0%92YD_Seagull_(front).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1024" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwFH0vlKxDvdZQ3_oPinGycOtJeLNrDJKiCOA-9fOt5GkTFPuq4wjyGs7d19EZoX_b_NkTsMFiQpotzoOxlbEuQCv0RGWv9_7UYV4l1FqS65QJV2jXG5Kh6lRSuRnZUFxZFlvcLVpxi-hbT-OGsrRz_J2alFOWjMDbAst-UpRCz89xw-3Tr6BxwV8fzs/w640-h386/2023_%D0%92YD_Seagull_(front).jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h1 class="firstHeading mw-first-heading" id="firstHeading" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, "Source Serif Pro", serif; font-size: 1.8em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.375; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; overflow: visible; padding: 0px;"><span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 ВYD Seagull</span></h1><p><br /></p><p><br /></p> <span face="var(--tr-font-regular)" style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-size: large;"> (Reuters) - China's BYD Company</span></span><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Shenzhen-based automaker said it sold about 1.6 million battery EVs as well as about 1.4 million plug-in hybrid EVs.</span></p><p><span face="var(--tr-font-regular)" style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-size: large;">BYD said its battery and hybrid EV sales in December stood at 340,178 including 190,754 all-electric vehicles.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the global market for electrified vehicles, Tesla and BYD are pulling away from the field. Both have highly vertically integrated operations – in contrast to legacy automakers that still outsource much of their manufacturing.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span face="var(--tr-font-regular)" style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: large;">Both are moving aggressively to expand capacity, sales, and technical capability. BYD said last week it plans a <span class="TSRSpan GSPGIcon" id="TSRSpan_79" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px 2px 0px 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 16px;"><img class="TSRWebRatingIcon" data-status="Safe" src="chrome-extension://ohhcpmplhhiiaoiddkfboafbhiknefdf/images/tooltip/webicon_green.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 16px;" /></span><a class="GSPGTitle" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://newslink.reuters.com/click/33866242.12472/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXV0b3MtdHJhbnNwb3J0YXRpb24vY2hpbmFzLWJ5ZC1idWlsZC1uZXctZW5lcmd5LXZlaGljbGUtcHJvZHVjdGlvbi1iYXNlLWh1bmdhcnktMjAyMy0xMi0yMi8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1TYWlsdGhydSZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPU5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPUF1dG8tRmlsZSZ1dG1fdGVybT0wMTAyMjQmdXNlcl9lbWFpbD03OGVkMGJjZWVkZTQ0NDg1YTM3YTVjMGY4ZWIxNjc0MjE4ZDhmZWE3MThmNmI1ZDIwOTg1ZjAyYjk0NTAxMGIw/63c8025808a32753ff57d88bB9e8ebaf4&source=gmail&ust=1704321944439000&usg=AOvVaw0A8-zy65O2lstPfdvtoXIb" href="https://newslink.reuters.com/click/33866242.12472/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXV0b3MtdHJhbnNwb3J0YXRpb24vY2hpbmFzLWJ5ZC1idWlsZC1uZXctZW5lcmd5LXZlaGljbGUtcHJvZHVjdGlvbi1iYXNlLWh1bmdhcnktMjAyMy0xMi0yMi8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1TYWlsdGhydSZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPU5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPUF1dG8tRmlsZSZ1dG1fdGVybT0wMTAyMjQmdXNlcl9lbWFpbD03OGVkMGJjZWVkZTQ0NDg1YTM3YTVjMGY4ZWIxNjc0MjE4ZDhmZWE3MThmNmI1ZDIwOTg1ZjAyYjk0NTAxMGIw/63c8025808a32753ff57d88bB9e8ebaf4" rate="1" style="background-color: #b8eab8; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0274b6; display: inline-block !important; max-width: calc(100% - 20px) !important; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;" target="_blank">production base in Hungary</a> – the better to circumvent potential EU tariffs. BYD also got approval last week to start testing an <span class="TSRSpan GSPGIcon" id="TSRSpan_80" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px 2px 0px 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 16px;"><img class="TSRWebRatingIcon" data-status="Safe" src="chrome-extension://ohhcpmplhhiiaoiddkfboafbhiknefdf/images/tooltip/webicon_green.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 16px;" /></span><a class="GSPGTitle" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://newslink.reuters.com/click/33866242.12472/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXV0b3MtdHJhbnNwb3J0YXRpb24vYnlkLWhhcy1vYnRhaW5lZC1jb25kaXRpb25hbC10ZXN0aW5nLWxpY2Vuc2UtbGV2ZWwtMy1hdXRvbm9tb3VzLWRyaXZpbmctaGlnaC0yMDIzLTEyLTI3Lz91dG1fc291cmNlPVNhaWx0aHJ1JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09TmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249QXV0by1GaWxlJnV0bV90ZXJtPTAxMDIyNCZ1c2VyX2VtYWlsPTc4ZWQwYmNlZWRlNDQ0ODVhMzdhNWMwZjhlYjE2NzQyMThkOGZlYTcxOGY2YjVkMjA5ODVmMDJiOTQ1MDEwYjA/63c8025808a32753ff57d88bBa25d4bbc&source=gmail&ust=1704321944439000&usg=AOvVaw0i7FsKpQzIWEMvt1rubra2" href="https://newslink.reuters.com/click/33866242.12472/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXV0b3MtdHJhbnNwb3J0YXRpb24vYnlkLWhhcy1vYnRhaW5lZC1jb25kaXRpb25hbC10ZXN0aW5nLWxpY2Vuc2UtbGV2ZWwtMy1hdXRvbm9tb3VzLWRyaXZpbmctaGlnaC0yMDIzLTEyLTI3Lz91dG1fc291cmNlPVNhaWx0aHJ1JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09TmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249QXV0by1GaWxlJnV0bV90ZXJtPTAxMDIyNCZ1c2VyX2VtYWlsPTc4ZWQwYmNlZWRlNDQ0ODVhMzdhNWMwZjhlYjE2NzQyMThkOGZlYTcxOGY2YjVkMjA5ODVmMDJiOTQ1MDEwYjA/63c8025808a32753ff57d88bBa25d4bbc" rate="1" style="background-color: #b8eab8; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0274b6; display: inline-block !important; max-width: calc(100% - 20px) !important; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;" target="_blank">advanced assisted driving system</a> – aka, an <span class="TSRSpan GSPGIcon" id="TSRSpan_81" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; padding: 0px 2px 0px 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: bottom; width: 16px;"><img class="TSRWebRatingIcon" data-status="Safe" src="chrome-extension://ohhcpmplhhiiaoiddkfboafbhiknefdf/images/tooltip/webicon_green.png" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 16px;" /></span><a class="GSPGTitle" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://newslink.reuters.com/click/33866242.12472/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXV0b3MtdHJhbnNwb3J0YXRpb24vdGVzbGEtdXBkYXRlLXNvZnR3YXJlLWF1dG9waWxvdC1jb250cm9sLWlzc3VlLTItbWxuLXZlaGljbGVzLW5odHNhLTIwMjMtMTItMTMvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9U2FpbHRocnUmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1OZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1BdXRvLUZpbGUmdXRtX3Rlcm09MDEwMjI0JnVzZXJfZW1haWw9NzhlZDBiY2VlZGU0NDQ4NWEzN2E1YzBmOGViMTY3NDIxOGQ4ZmVhNzE4ZjZiNWQyMDk4NWYwMmI5NDUwMTBiMA/63c8025808a32753ff57d88bBa879bf8f&source=gmail&ust=1704321944439000&usg=AOvVaw0L9p7iZzCvSRKhBSO0iKor" href="https://newslink.reuters.com/click/33866242.12472/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXV0b3MtdHJhbnNwb3J0YXRpb24vdGVzbGEtdXBkYXRlLXNvZnR3YXJlLWF1dG9waWxvdC1jb250cm9sLWlzc3VlLTItbWxuLXZlaGljbGVzLW5odHNhLTIwMjMtMTItMTMvP3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9U2FpbHRocnUmdXRtX21lZGl1bT1OZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1BdXRvLUZpbGUmdXRtX3Rlcm09MDEwMjI0JnVzZXJfZW1haWw9NzhlZDBiY2VlZGU0NDQ4NWEzN2E1YzBmOGViMTY3NDIxOGQ4ZmVhNzE4ZjZiNWQyMDk4NWYwMmI5NDUwMTBiMA/63c8025808a32753ff57d88bBa879bf8f" rate="1" style="background-color: #b8eab8; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0274b6; display: inline-block !important; max-width: calc(100% - 20px) !important; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap;" target="_blank">Autopilot fighter</a>.</span></span></p><p><span face="var(--tr-font-regular)" style="color: #404040;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-37297066548455739722024-01-02T18:00:00.003-05:002024-01-02T18:03:18.816-05:00Tesla Gigapress Diecasting Machine for Model Y<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXu2lbxCFKF3qr4TJMCGbLdaddozfvm7kq8OjQQGURR8AuIXRq2vTblxX5-9TFkv2gVsVZI_CeoMyL3QyfSiajKWbh-Nwi-Zx9yVd_fowQ-ripIMO03PHoXNq-1QWILtu159qW4qvDHURMalxsVSUyEEvAmLKlKD1Rtdd7IBvCPI3V3Bak9_sdiOoXeQ/s500/20200912-tesla-fremont-dcm2-idra-giga-press-ol6100cs-crop.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="500" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXu2lbxCFKF3qr4TJMCGbLdaddozfvm7kq8OjQQGURR8AuIXRq2vTblxX5-9TFkv2gVsVZI_CeoMyL3QyfSiajKWbh-Nwi-Zx9yVd_fowQ-ripIMO03PHoXNq-1QWILtu159qW4qvDHURMalxsVSUyEEvAmLKlKD1Rtdd7IBvCPI3V3Bak9_sdiOoXeQ/w640-h360/20200912-tesla-fremont-dcm2-idra-giga-press-ol6100cs-crop.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 18px;">Tesla Die Casting Machine #2 (DCM2) for producing the </span><a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_Y" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #3366cc; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;" title="w:Tesla Model Y">Tesla Model Y</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 18px;"> single-piece rear chassis megacasting. OL 6100 CS </span><a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giga_Press" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #3366cc; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 18px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;" title="w:Giga Press">Giga Press</a><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 18px;"> made in Italy by Idra Group</span></b></p><p><b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-size: 18px;">There is a revolution in manufacturing and I have been in a coma! From Reuters, always a great source.</span></b></p><p><br /></p><p> <span face="var(--tr-font-regular)" style="color: #404040;">By replacing around 60 welded components with a single module, gigantic aluminium die casting machines made by the likes of Tesla supplier IDRA Group are helping carmakers to simplify manufacturing and cut costs by up to 40% in some areas.</span></p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Tesla <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/TSLA.O/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(TSLA.O)</a> has pioneered the use of massive casting machines, also known as gigapresses, to make large single pieces of vehicle underbodies, streamline production and reduce the work of even robots.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">This has helped it become the most profitable battery electric vehicle (BEV) maker.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Critics say the process poses quality and flexibility risks, as a single flaw can compromise a whole module, and make fixing more difficult if something goes wrong.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">But with the industry struggling to preserve profit margins amid surging raw materials prices, carmakers including <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/exclusive-toyota-scrambles-ev-reboot-with-eye-tesla-2022-10-24/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;">Toyota</a> <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/7203.T/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(7203.T)</a>, General Motors <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/GM.N/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(GM.N)</a>, Hyundai <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/005380.KS/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(005380.KS)</a>, Volvo Cars and Chinese electric vehicle startup Nio <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/9866.HK/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(9866.HK)</a> are turning to companies like IDRA for help.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">"The basic idea was to provide a technology that could simplify the car production process," IDRA general manager Riccardo Ferrario told Reuters in an interview at the company's headquarters in Travagliato, northern Italy.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Battery packs currently make up 25%-40% of the total cost of BEVs.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">"You need to make the rest cost less," Ferrario said.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Automakers using aluminium casting machines claim they can reduce investments needed to build chassis - a vehicle's second most expensive component after the engine - by 40%, and the average cost of their parts by 30%, Ferrario said.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">"It's a way to eventually make BEVs something for all pockets," he said.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-10" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">IDRA, which was taken over by Chinese group LK Industries in 2008, has been developing gigapresses since 2016. Competitors of IDRA and LK include Buhler Group in Europe, Ube Corp. <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/4208.T/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(4208.T)</a> and Shibaura Machine <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/6104.T/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(6104.T)</a> in Japan, as well as Yizumi <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/300415.SZ/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(300415.SZ)</a> and Haitian <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/1882.HK/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(1882.HK)</a> in China.</p><h2 class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__medium__1kbOh text__heading_6__1qUJ5 heading__base__2T28j heading__heading_6__RtD9P article-body__heading__33EIm" data-testid="Heading" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-medium); font-size: 18px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 24px; margin: 24px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;">GIGAPRESS 9,000</h2><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-11" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Metal and plastic die casting has been largely used in manufacturing, but its application to large aluminium underbodies in carmaking is relatively new.</p><div class="article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin: 24px 0px; width: 707.325px;"></div><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-12" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">The global aluminium die casting market was worth almost $73 billion last year and is projected to top $126 billion by 2032, according to an AlixPartners analysis based on Apollo Reports data.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Aluminium is prized for its light weight, and is also used for other car parts including engines. The average content of the metal in European produced cars rose 20% to 179 kilograms in the three years to 2019, and is expected to increase to almost 200 kilograms by 2025, a study commissioned by lobby group European Aluminium shows.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-14" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">IDRA's newest and biggest gigapress - the 9,000 - is the size of a small house and produces a clamping force of over 9,000 tons.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-15" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">The company, which made 100 million euros ($108 million) in revenues in 2021, does not disclose its customers. But after it posted a video of the first Gigapress 9,000 ready for shipping, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it was for his company's new cybertruck.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-16" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Tesla already operates gigapresses in all its facilities, including in Gruenheide, near Berlin, where it says it can churn out a Model Y in 10 hours - about three times faster than electric cars built by competitors.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-17" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Ferrario said IDRA had contracts with three automakers and as many 'Tier 1' parts makers. South Korea's Hyundai Motor is among them, sources familiar with the matter said.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-18" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Ralf Bechmann of manufacturing consultant EFESO said the benefits of die casting would push it "to be applied to an increasing number of new models of BEV vehicles, also by other manufacturers".</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-19" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Front and rear underbodies cast by gigapresses are now combined with battery packs to form a three-piece chassis for BEVs.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-20" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">"I bet 80% of automakers will use gigapresses by 2035, at least for BEV cars based on new platforms," Ferrario said. "But the real question is: will we need even bigger gigapresses?"</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-21" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Yet not all automakers are convinced, and EFESO's Bechmann cautioned that large module die casting required product design to be "super solid".</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-22" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">"Fixing design flaws is much easier with a body made up of several small parts rather than a single module," he said.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-23" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">After initially considering die casting for its upcoming Trinity model, <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/volkswagen-decide-by-early-february-new-planned-trinity-plant-brand-chief-2022-12-06/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;">Volkswagen</a> <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/VOWG_p.DE/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(VOWG_p.DE)</a> has backtracked, while BMW <a class="text__text__1FZLe text__inherit-color__3208F text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 text__inherit-size__1DZJi link__underline_default__2prE_" data-testid="Link" href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/BMWG.DE/" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: inherit;" target="_blank">(BMWG.DE)</a> has never expressed an interest.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-24" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">Ferrario said the auto industry tended to be conservative and that no one liked upending established processes, but he rejected idea that die casting posed a risk to jobs at carmakers, noting body-making was already highly automated.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-25" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">"The real issue will be with businesses supplying those little parts replaced by our modules," he said.</p><p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__small__1kGq2 body__full_width__ekUdw body__small_body__2vQyf article-body__paragraph__2-BtD" data-testid="paragraph-26" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #404040; font-family: var(--tr-font-regular); line-height: 24px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;">($1 = 0.9272 euros)</p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-76349405479909784852023-12-25T20:33:00.003-05:002023-12-25T20:33:49.610-05:00A Tesla for Christmas!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi659Wfm3ldCgmyhPOTSPE2zvpxSF3cMlG73-ymHDRHQzwFpsuJ0xiXbgui5YyD47l7ANhja7SJpyNW9tCN7hn09PTdi0pfnCWTHaWRa8bwDymgGGGjgO_I5dLeMpJ_4lW_rANi9M7PC7_x37L2qG_86izWNMJUMSeyUjWu3BQo31QQOFZw1p0G8HmJv1o/s526/414160384_7368221453190699_7645031261223639098_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi659Wfm3ldCgmyhPOTSPE2zvpxSF3cMlG73-ymHDRHQzwFpsuJ0xiXbgui5YyD47l7ANhja7SJpyNW9tCN7hn09PTdi0pfnCWTHaWRa8bwDymgGGGjgO_I5dLeMpJ_4lW_rANi9M7PC7_x37L2qG_86izWNMJUMSeyUjWu3BQo31QQOFZw1p0G8HmJv1o/w640-h640/414160384_7368221453190699_7645031261223639098_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Seriously, the Tesla S is a car I desire, even though it has been around for quite some time. It is perhaps the most important car of the 21st century.</p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3806105670225878157.post-40394591770728430072023-12-23T16:26:00.003-05:002023-12-23T16:26:41.039-05:00Merry Christmas And A Happy 2024!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_fICibPNZi_QoQrm9E5t-_HZNzW5tAF42uaPqNOqFuTR1EfD263PQVXL8u4VXMgc-sP7iPGBjvg13GjpEtKABXapPAopDWJRtCe0XK0OTL_MTYlVcfaL4W9Ik1xVs43O8DD5DCQRCTluExp1lCKAE_heqlirkk6-mHB3MJFoP3gcIHS6851ZCyEM1X4/s960/412310012_6930892956989671_1047847426489963621_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="765" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_fICibPNZi_QoQrm9E5t-_HZNzW5tAF42uaPqNOqFuTR1EfD263PQVXL8u4VXMgc-sP7iPGBjvg13GjpEtKABXapPAopDWJRtCe0XK0OTL_MTYlVcfaL4W9Ik1xVs43O8DD5DCQRCTluExp1lCKAE_heqlirkk6-mHB3MJFoP3gcIHS6851ZCyEM1X4/w510-h640/412310012_6930892956989671_1047847426489963621_n.jpg" width="510" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBsp6MwBN1WM9QhZVF9PAujcqhUnAcaInNMU4_xgbJo85l0X0UzZGKy4QaGbSuryGJuzlLFqr6j-a8GVS0ANDOnvv9_mREZpnCHYaAJDr_5Uk_maOXiu2XuuafOA1wF0fbI3NGBxKZF3u4fm5l8WcaH2ICIs2H3Ja6qsU5-JBkLGPrV1-a-FImq-KZFQ/s1369/412296604_6930893253656308_6409348620351087889_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1369" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBsp6MwBN1WM9QhZVF9PAujcqhUnAcaInNMU4_xgbJo85l0X0UzZGKy4QaGbSuryGJuzlLFqr6j-a8GVS0ANDOnvv9_mREZpnCHYaAJDr_5Uk_maOXiu2XuuafOA1wF0fbI3NGBxKZF3u4fm5l8WcaH2ICIs2H3Ja6qsU5-JBkLGPrV1-a-FImq-KZFQ/w640-h448/412296604_6930893253656308_6409348620351087889_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3bdSukttJwIWf91mqN9fmN5wMOJ0rJtj4mIpNY2D-y1dqCUlCLMYM-1SJ0eE6hMU3dn8pdxFi6WIRc2gNIkP4It7ujcaVd9lWXc9GttI295q5eE9imChaOH27RtYaKiX1irhobAK433Irm-WZb_iZA2cAibucpR_YWN0uoaRxZmFfTohnfE579gE9zw/s960/411676659_6930892656989701_6339261812846062132_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="960" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3bdSukttJwIWf91mqN9fmN5wMOJ0rJtj4mIpNY2D-y1dqCUlCLMYM-1SJ0eE6hMU3dn8pdxFi6WIRc2gNIkP4It7ujcaVd9lWXc9GttI295q5eE9imChaOH27RtYaKiX1irhobAK433Irm-WZb_iZA2cAibucpR_YWN0uoaRxZmFfTohnfE579gE9zw/w640-h632/411676659_6930892656989701_6339261812846062132_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFGHpHclY9rbCT2SSJGI9uNIYtqwi6YfggjUzXhLKJ6RsTL5I-TaHPWnnn2sXSdD2KPx6TJkfh9V1qrWEVIVRhO8QP8CnKjq6S67-lPJgcTRjkV7Q8Ag6VJQ2bNMR2la0INoCV4gndJR3vYONMcUo9v0gaVbrhi0bdU85lunQueXivVEtWgK2RO9q5n8/s789/411337634_6930892506989716_2592053054164043673_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="789" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFGHpHclY9rbCT2SSJGI9uNIYtqwi6YfggjUzXhLKJ6RsTL5I-TaHPWnnn2sXSdD2KPx6TJkfh9V1qrWEVIVRhO8QP8CnKjq6S67-lPJgcTRjkV7Q8Ag6VJQ2bNMR2la0INoCV4gndJR3vYONMcUo9v0gaVbrhi0bdU85lunQueXivVEtWgK2RO9q5n8/w640-h352/411337634_6930892506989716_2592053054164043673_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7GgCrC_DdOPpo6xK-QGJIKfK1vuUkY2DZWF29LFwE8cGB4bbA2xJn9P2KxvWgTbiBPZ2a67ndQzHzHSpUzkzWfvZ9SJHQyjOT_RHvhnavnuRZ3gzz81BX_5FRlVUJfaqyHfIw1N2F_9LfqsElUd7lNX6P1DguSVzpKIfK7F5ioRY8AjHlgvjb4P9KJ8/s677/411751464_6930892423656391_3154683674256246505_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="677" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7GgCrC_DdOPpo6xK-QGJIKfK1vuUkY2DZWF29LFwE8cGB4bbA2xJn9P2KxvWgTbiBPZ2a67ndQzHzHSpUzkzWfvZ9SJHQyjOT_RHvhnavnuRZ3gzz81BX_5FRlVUJfaqyHfIw1N2F_9LfqsElUd7lNX6P1DguSVzpKIfK7F5ioRY8AjHlgvjb4P9KJ8/w640-h442/411751464_6930892423656391_3154683674256246505_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p>John Heitmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15891521792448497252noreply@blogger.com1