OHIO CAR THEFTS DROPPED 2%:

Ohio’s auto thefts decreased about 2 percent from 2002, according to estimates released by the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII), a property/casualty trade group. Based on auto theft survey results of 17 major Ohio city police departments and data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, OII estimated that statewide auto thefts decreased 1.9 percent between 2002-2003. This decrease follows an uptick of 1.3 percent realized between 2001-2002, which mirrored the U.S. increase of 1.4 percent for the same period. OII’s findings suggest Cincinnati is where drivers experience the greatest chance of becoming an auto theft victim. In Cincinnati there was one theft for every 52 registered vehicles in the city, a greater chance than its 2002 ratio of one in 59 vehicles. Dayton’s ratio is one in 62 and Cleveland’s is one in 63.