Auto Theft Jumped in 2020

Auto theft appears to have increased considerably in 2020 compared to 2019, reversing two years of auto theft declines.

A preliminary analysis by the National Insurance Crime Bureau shows there were 873,080 auto thefts in 2020, or almost 2,400 a day. That’s a 9.2 percent increase over 2019 when there were 799,644 thefts and an increase of more than 73,000 thefts — or about 200 more a day on average.

According to the findings, every month in 2020 showed increases compared to 2019. Each month from June through December showed double digit gains.

NICB said the data it analyzed is from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center.

NICB President and CEO David Glawe stressed preliminary nature of the data that will need to be analyzed while suggesting likely causes.

“Considerations such as the pandemic, economic downturn, loss of juvenile outreach programs and public safety budgetary and resource limitations are likely contributing factors,” he said. “Thieves exploit opportunities and may look for vehicles parked in the same location or citizens not taking proper measures to secure their vehicles.”