

                                                                  
                       THE RAT PATROL RIDES!                              

                                By
 
                           Paul C. Ricks
                      Deputy Chief of Police
          Colorado Springs, Colorado, Police Department
                               
                                                                  
     In the fall of 1988, the rate of automobile thefts increased 
dramatically all across the Nation; the City of Colorado
Springs, Colorado, was no exception.  Although the department
continued to emphasize traditional anti-crime measures, such as
information bulletins at roll call, and alerting the auto theft
unit  the rate continued to increase.  In fact, within 1 year,
the number of automobile thefts occurring within the city jumped
an astonishing 77.9 percent. (1)  It became obvious to the
department that only through a well-organized, permanent
response could the department solve existing auto theft cases
and prevent future thefts.  After considering the various
options available, department administrators decided to form a
special auto theft detail.

EMERGENCE OF THE RAT PATROL

     The newly created detail, christened the RAT Patrol (Reduce
Auto Theft), consisted of two officers from the Tactical
Enforcement Unit, two officers from each patrol shift, and a
sergeant.  The patrol shift officers were assigned to the detail
and were trained for a period of approximately 90 days.  They
were then rotated back to their shifts and were replaced by
different officers.  This insured a constant infusion of
training and tactical information to the patrol shifts.

     The team worked in plain-clothes and used unmarked vehicles
borrowed from the Investigative Bureau.  However, in order to
provide enough vehicles for the RAT officers, local insurance
companies were approached for help.  One company responded by
supplying two vehicles  a recovered stolen vehicle and a
corporate vehicle.

     Selected RAT Patrol officers received special training in
locating hidden vehicle identification numbers, restoring
obliterated vehicle identification numbers, recognizing stolen
vehicles, conducting investigations involving auto thefts, and
interviewing/interrogating suspects.  These officers then
prepared a 4-hour block of inservice training for all Patrol
Bureau personnel.  Several sessions were needed to train the 355
persons assigned to the Patrol Bureau, and these sessions were
scheduled around the clock to accommodate shift scheduling and
to avoid overtime expenditures.

ATTACKING THE PROBLEM

     The mission of the RAT Patrol was to enable the department
to deal with the rising auto theft rate in a more effective
manner.  Therefore, in order for RAT officers to have a better
understanding of the problems that faced them, the Crime
Analysis Unit (CAU) conducted a detailed analysis of the crime,
which revealed the following information about the auto thefts
occurring within the city:

     *  The suspects were usually juveniles or young adults

     *  The same suspects or their close associates were
        suspects in a high percentage of cases cleared

     *  Juvenile suspects taken into custody for auto thefts
        were not detained by the juvenile center

     *  Juveniles adjudicated as delinquents were not usually 
        incarcerated; if they were incarcerated, their sentences
        were very short

     *  Young adults convicted of auto theft were generally not 
        incarcerated until they had multiple convictions, and
        then, the sentence was minimal

     In addition to the suspect information contained in the 
profile, the RAT officers also learned that high-performance cars 
were the most popular target and that most thefts occurred in the 
eastern part of the city during the evening hours.  The most 
popular methods of theft included taking cars with keys left in 
the ignition, breaking the steering column, or hot wiring the 
car.                                                   

INVESTIGATIVE TECHNIQUES                                          

     Information contained in the crime analysis served as an
important tool in the development of new investigative
techniques.  One investigative technique developed by RAT
officers to use in stolen auto cases was working pattern cases
"backwards."  To do this, they began with known auto thieves and
identified the cases that fit an individual's (or group's)
pattern.  They also did "link analysis" charts on known auto
thieves and their associates, as well as gangs of thieves.

     RAT officers also focused special attention on cases that 
involved the most popular target vehicles because these cases 
were generally found to involve repeat offenders.  To increase 
the probability of cooperation, they devised a system to allow 
off-duty RAT officers to interrogate suspects immediately after 
their arrests.  This "call-out" system ensured that experienced 
officers were available to process recovered stolen vehicles 
thoroughly for items of evidence.  RAT officers also varied their 
work hours to coordinate their schedules with the times most 
vehicles were stolen.                                             

     A final investigative technique used by RAT officers was to 
monitor closely potential outlets for stolen vehicles and parts 
and accessories.  Popular stolen accessories included CD players, 
tape decks, radios, and cellular phones.                    

COOPERATION WITH JUDICIAL SYSTEMS                                 

     The Analysis Unit profile shed light on yet another problem 
the department faced in its efforts against auto thefts  ensuring 
that offenders were incarcerated.  If persons in the judicial 
system could be convinced of the necessity of incarceration, it 
would remove repeat offenders from the streets, and perhaps, 
serve as a deterrent to those who may be considering auto theft.  

     RAT officers believed that "vertical prosecution" for all 
auto theft cases was the key to ensuring that auto theft 
offenders would be incarcerated.  They gained the cooperation of 
the District Attorney's office, and an agreement was reached to 
have one prosecuting attorney assigned to conduct all phases of 
any auto theft cases brought to them for filing.  This prevented 
an offender who had cases pending simultaneously in several 
different divisions of the district court from receiving "first 
offender" treatment in multiple cases.  In return, the 
department agreed to have an auto theft investigator present at 
every stage of all court proceedings that involved either the 
theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.  The investigator 
was prepared to testify not only to the facts of the specific 
case under consideration, but also to the general scope of the 
auto theft problem within the area and the impact it had on the 
community.                                                        

     To further strengthen their position with the courts, the 
RAT officers asked the CAU to prepare "community impact 
statements."  These statements outlined the number of thefts and 
the dollar amount of the losses caused by top auto theft 
offenders as a result of the current prosecutorial and judicial 
treatment of youthful auto theft defendants.  In an effort to 
educate the courts concerning the problems the RAT patrol faced, 
these statements were presented in meetings and discussion 
sessions held with the District Attorney's personnel, judges, and 
juvenile court referees.  The statements were also used to 
encourage stiffer sentences for both juvenile and adult 
offenders.  As offenders were incarcerated more rapidly and for 
longer periods of time, the auto theft rate began to decline.    

SUCCESS OF THE RAT PATROL                                         

     In 1989, the stolen vehicle rate dropped approximately 2 
percent compared to the 1988 rate.  The recovery rate in 1989 saw 
an even more dramatic change, increasing almost 10 percent to 91 
percent.  First month statistics for 1990 show that the decline 
experienced in the last half of 1989 continues.  A comparison of 
the January 1990, figures to the January 1989, figures show a 
45-percent decrease in the auto theft rate.                      

INTRA-AGENCY EFFORTS                                              

      While the RAT patrol has contributed greatly to the 
reduction in auto thefts, intra-agency cooperation has also
played an important role.  The auto theft detectives continued
to follow up on all reported auto thefts, while RAT officers
conducted surveillance of high-incidence locations and known
auto theft suspects.  In addition, the Auto Theft Unit handled
followup investigations, isolated auto theft cases, multiple
related cases, identifiable pattern cases, and "chop shop"
operations.  The detectives tracked every reported auto theft
case to ensure that it received proper attention and that
followup reports were submitted promptly.  They also presented
auto theft cases to the District Attorney's office to guarantee
precise case coordination, and they inspected salvage yards to
ensure that operators did not store vehicles, which may have
been stolen, along the roadside in violation of city zoning
laws.

     The Total Resources Against Career Criminals (TRACC) Unit 
of the Investigative Bureau concentrated its anti theft efforts 
on the apprehension of career criminals active in the stolen car 
field, and several of these felons were incarcerated as habitual 
offenders.  During the analysis phase of the RAT plan, the 
department determined that many repeat auto thieves were 
juveniles, and for this reason, the TRACC Unit did followups on 
these cases.  This resulted in quicker adjudications and longer 
sentences for these juveniles.                                    

     Another successful project has been the Top Auto Theft 
Offender project, which involves determining a point system for 
individuals who are either arrested or convicted for offenses 
involving the theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle.  A 
list of offenders was distributed to all officers, and offenders' 
names were entered into both the Colorado Criminal Information 
Center and the department's computerized criminal history files.  
Any officer checking an individual for wants/warrants would be 
notified if that person were on the list.                         

CONCLUSION                                                        

     The dedication and total commitment of RAT patrol officers 
contributes to the success of this program.  Through innovative 
thinking and a strong desire to create a cooperative spirit, both 
inside and outside the department, they have successfully 
attacked a major problem in the community.                        


FOOTNOTE                                                         

      (1)  There were 169 vehicles stolen in January 1989
compared to 95 vehicles stolen in 1988.
