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

interviewed. Carjacker #1, smart enough to realize that no one knew he had carjacked the vehicle, pretended to be the owner. Of course, once his identity was confirmed and the report of the original carjacking in another section of Brooklyn filtered down, carjacker #1 was arrested by detectives.

On other occasions the carjacker will attempt entry from the passenger side. He produces a knife or gun and orders the driver to take him to a particular location or to simply drive around until further instructions are given. This type of carjacker has an emergency and selects the vehicle simply by which one is most convenient.

The only way to avoid being carjacked in these circumstances is to lock your doors and keep your windows rolled up so a carjacker cannot easily obtain entry into a vehicle.

Suburbs and Rural Areas. A carjacker will usually walk in front of a vehicle that has come to a stop or is at a light and pretend to pass out. At this point ninety-nine percent of drivers will exit the vehicle to see if the person is all right. The carjacker produces a knife or a handgun and commandeers the car.

The Bump and Take. A person will be operating their car on a road when they will suddenly be tapped from behind by another vehicle. While the victim and the carjacker exit their vehicles to check the damage, a passenger from the carjacker's vehicle will come around and steal the car. Quite often the vehicle used to bump the first vehicle was also carjacked, or stolen. This way, carjackers get two cars within a very short period of time.

Chop Shops

Chop shop is a law enforcement slang name for a location where stolen vehicles are dismantled and the parts sold off to garages and body shops at below market value. Most vehicles that are stolen are sold to chop shop operations for around five hundred dollars. These chop shops strip the vehicle and can make an enormous cash return on their investment, as much as double the initial selling price of the vehicle.

Chop shops can be found just about anywhere — even in the street, mostly the dead-end type. Vacant lots on deadend streets are ideal because the trees located on these lots can be used to lift an engine or transmission out of the vehicle by using a chain over a strong branch. A car can be stripped of all sellable parts in under half an hour by a group of professionals. By removing twenty bolts, the whole front end, including the hood, both fenders, bumper and grill, can be separated from the vehicle. Front ends on late model cars are most desirable because they are used as replacement parts for vehicles damaged in accidents —and front end damage is the most common result of an accident.

Another profitable section of a stolen vehicle is the rear end for the same reason. On late-model vehicles, replacement parts are hard to find because of the demand for the complete vehicle. These parts are extremely difficult to trace because there are no markings that will indicate they were removed from a particular vehicle.

The newest item to steal from vehicles is the air bag. Air bags are sold legitimately for around $1200; stolen air bags are sold for $200 to $500. The bags are stolen and sold to auto repair shops to be installed in vehicles with accident damage to replace used air bags. Thieves have to be careful when stealing these items as setting them off makes them useless.

Chop shops have one or more of the following indications that illegal activity is being conducted: Juveniles are the leading individuals when it comes to stealing vehicles, so you will see the same faces of young people hanging around these shops. Once the word is out that a location is buying stolen vehicles, our young thieves will attempt to please their buyers by following through with their needs.

Junk yards make ideal locations for chop shops because they are usually out of public sight, making it difficult to observe everyday operations. These yards often get their vehicles from owners who are dissatisfied with their present vehicle because of expensive car payments, mechanical problems, high mileage, or they just don't want the vehicle anymore. The owner of the vehicle pays a small fee and his vehicle is dismantled by the junk yard. All parts that have the vehicle identification number (often referred to as the VIN) will be destroyed by crushing. The owner will then report the vehicle stolen and collect his insurance.

Chop shops are also used to make stolen vehicles legal. Skilled personnel can alter the vehicle identification numbers. This craftsman can earn as much as $3,500 per vehicle. Vehicle identification number plates are carefully removed from vehicles totalled in accidents and then installed onto the stolen vehicles. The stolen vehicle can then be regis-

tered. Chop shops also use counterfeit credentials to obtain valid titles.

Chop shops also make a profit from odometer rollback. An odometer rollback is performed to reduce high mileage on a vehicle that is fairly new to increase its market value or comply with a lease agreement. The National Highway Traffic Safety Association reported that odometer rollback annual loss is between $3 and $4 billion. One way to roll back the odometer is to falsify the title prior to resale. Another method is to first detail the vehicle to improve the way it looks: a good wash and waxing, new tires, floor carpeting, brake and gas pedals. A person known in the trade as a clocker physically turns back the odometer, which only takes a few minutes using screwdrivers and lock picks. These vehicles can then be sold at auction houses or to used car dealers for an increased profit.

Many chop shops are located in small garages in a residential community. These garages will be detached from the main house and out of view of the street. Inside these garages will be the tools necessary to completely strip