‘A modern twist:’ Dayton police launch program to combat auto theft

DAYTON — A new program aimed to prevent car thefts and to catch those who steal them has been launched by the Dayton Police Department.

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The Beat Auto Theft program is voluntary and community members can sign up on the city’s website.

“The Beat Auto Theft program is in response to the stolen vehicle problem we’ve been experiencing for over the last year. We’ve looked at several different options, and the BAT program is something we had back in the late ‘80s early ‘90s where we gave stickers out to prevent auto thefts. So we decided to put a little bit of a modern twist on it,” Lt. Randy Beane said in a released statement by Dayton police on Friday.

Upon signing up, people will have to fill out a consent form that will allow law enforcement to access data location information or the GPS device if their vehicle has been stolen, a police department spokesperson said in a media release Friday.

“Signing up in advance of a vehicle theft will allow Dayton police to access the data location much faster, which can be a significant difference in recovering the vehicle quicker, reducing potential damage, and making an apprehension,” the spokesperson said.

After signing up, participants will receive a sticker that identifies the vehicle as one that police can track if it is stolen.

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“We’re hoping combat auto theft by being a deterrent to thieves, when they go to break out a window or look in the car to see if the car is unlocked, we hope that they will see the sticker and see that the car can be tracked by police and decide that they don’t want to steal this car and go in a different direction,” Beane said.

Community members who are interested should check with their vehicle manufacturer, GPS subscription provider or satellite radio service to see if the vehicle has tracking capabilities.

Friday’s advent of the department’s new BAT program is the latest measure to combat increasing car thefts seen across the region and state. Some of these thefts have been fueled by social media challenges that exposed vulnerabilities in some cars, mostly Kia and Hyundai models.

Earlier this year, Dayton police and other jurisdictions launched an auto theft prevention task force aimed at stolen car recovery.

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