An 18-year-old woman was arrested by Tempe police officers on Tuesday night after an investigation revealed that the car she was driving had been stolen in Phoenix.
Though she reportedly claimed to have borrowed the car from her uncle, officers detained her and booked her into the Tempe police station after an investigation revealed she had stripped the car of its license plate and provided false information to officers.
Tempe police, in an attempt to decrease incidents like this, will offer free vehicle identification number etching today on automobiles.
Officers will print VIN labels for interested residents between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Tempe Police Department's Crime Prevention Unit office, located at 10 W. Guadalupe Road.
Vehicle owners then may apply the etchings to each of their car windows, which might deter a potential car thief from targeting that vehicle, said Crime Free Multi-Housing Coordinator Kathy Groenewold.
"When the VIN etchings are applied, thieves will see the etched windows and will think twice about stealing the vehicle," Groenewold said. "As a result of the etching, thieves will have to replace every piece of glass on your vehicle before illegally selling it."
Glass replacement costs thieves time and money, enough to make them move on to easier targets, Groenewold said.
Arizona Automobile Theft Authority spokeswoman Ann Armstrong said heavy shopping center traffic during the holidays provides thieves with more opportunities to steal cars.
"Because people are so distracted when it comes time for holiday shopping, they tend to leave their cars unlocked with packages and valuables visible," Armstrong said. "This creates an easy target for car thieves."
More cars were stolen in Arizona in January than in any other month in 2002, Armstrong added.
Anthropology senior Alexandra Cenan said she thought VIN etching likely wouldn't make much difference in a thief's decision whether or not to steal a car.
"A fair majority of thieves are likely going to chop a car up to sell parts rather than attempting to sell the whole thing," Cenan said. "It doesn't seem like having your VIN etched on each of your car windows would be time well- spent."
Only Tempe residents are eligible for the service and must provide documentation of Tempe residency and proof of vehicle ownership.
Reach the reporter at kelly.vaughn@asu.edu.
