Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

enter between the rubber window molding and the glass itself. The working end of this jimmie is hooked to the door lock inside the vehicle and just pulled up. Anti-theft door locks are tapered to prevent using a jimmie, but thieves place a piece of tape onto the working end of the jimmie to cause enough friction to pop open the door lock.

Other jimmies are designed to defeat locks located on the side of the door nearer to the dashboard. These jimmies are placed in the same way as above, but closer to the dashboard. For cheap thieves, a simple coat hanger can be bent and twisted into the same configurations as professional jimmies but are less conspicuous if the thief is stopped and questioned by the police.

Ninja Rocks

A new method of gaining entry into vehicles is the Ninja Rock —a. 3/8-inch cube-shaped white piece of porcelain. It was first used by Southeast Asian gangs. The Ninja Rock, when thrown at a moderate speed, will break and shatter any glass with little or no sound, and can easily be left at a scene with little chance of detection and, therefore, little chance of discovery.

Digital Door Locks

Vehicles with digital or punch-the-numbers door locks are the easiest to gain entry. Just think: You just paid eighteen hundred dollars for this luxury option, and all a car thief has to do to open your door is simply disconnect the battery. Because of an inherent safety feature designed to unlock your doors in case of an accident, your vehicle can easily be opened if it has this type of lock. Our clever young thieves will perform their task and drive away with your car in twenty to thirty seconds.

Computer-Aided Locks

Sophisticated car thieves who go after the more desirable luxury vehicles use a different approach. They will attempt to obtain a key for the vehicle to defeat both the alarm system and locks. The manufacturers of the more expensive luxury vehicles are taking a number of precautions to assure the consumer that their vehicles are protected from theft. Companies have manufactured keys with security devices such as computer chips embedded right on the keys themselves. These vehicles need to be stolen without any damage to them, so the key is mandatory. On most new cars, one key will operate both door locks, the ignition, the glove box and the trunk.

One of the ways to get the key is by obtaining the ignition key code number, which is sometimes found behind the ashtray. The ignition key code number is printed on a sticker inside the door or on the nonvisible inside door lock itself. The key can be duplicated right at the scene by using a portable key maker.

A vehicle can be stolen from a parking garage by either stealing the keys from the attendant's booth, bribing the attendant, or forcing the attendant to turn over the keys of the vehicle marked for theft. In parking garages, if the parking attendant is robbed of the keys, any number of vehicles can be stolen.

Bump and Run

Another method of stealing a luxury car is the bump and run. This seems to be the method of choice for obtaining luxury or in-demand vehicles. A bump and run occurs as follows: A chase vehicle follows a luxury car with only the driver in it until a semi-secluded area is available. When the target car is moving slowly, or is stopped, the chase vehicle will then bump into the rear of the vehicle. When the driver jumps out to survey the damage, a second person jumps into the vehicle and drives away. The stolen car is then parked at a nearby parking garage. Once in the garage, the vehicle check-in ticket, used to retrieve the car from the garage, can be sold, or the stolen vehicle can have its license plates changed to avoid detection. It is not uncommon to have this vehicle moved from parking garage to parking garage daily or weekly.

Desirable vehicles are becoming harder and harder to obtain, so thieves have to invent more ways of obtaining these vehicles with little or no damage. Because of these vehicles' protection systems, owners are driving around confident that their vehicle will not be stolen. This confidence tends to aid the thief in his task.

Getting It Started

Once inside the vehicle, there are a number of ways to get it started. If the vehicle is a General Motors or Jeep product, the thief breaks open the left side of the steering column, and inserts a screwdriver directly below the turn signal into a round cup mechanism. This will start the vehicle. To disengage the steering wheel lock, thieves use a device, also used by auto body repairmen and called a dent puller, or slap-hammer. A dent puller has a plastic or rubber handle on one end and a strong steel self-tapping screw on the other. In the middle is a weighted grip that slides from one end of the tool to the other. Once the screw is inserted into the ignition key slot, the weighted grip is moved back and forth causing the ignition lock to pop out, releasing the steering wheel lock.

If the vehicle is a Ford truck, another system can be used to start the vehicle. Reach under the steering column, pull the ignition wires out, and attach them to the extra ignition locking system, turn the key, and you're off.

Carjacking

The latest trend in stealing cars is carjacking, which is one of the simplest and most straightforward types of crime that exists in America today. Carjacking differs from auto theft in that the vehicle is stolen while the owner is in it as opposed to stealing it without the owner's knowledge. Carjacking generally occurs in urban and densely populated areas as opposed to suburban and rural areas, because once taken by criminals the vehicle can easily be lost in traffic and congestion.

There are many reasons why a vehicle is carjacked:

1. The need for immediate transportation such as after a burglary, armed