Although Abilene's crime rate is dropping steadily, law enforcement hasn't been able to put the brakes on auto theft.
Law officers say that's partly because careless car owners contribute to the crime.
The department got 246 reports in 1999 and 217 reports in 1998. The number of auto thefts has remained constant for the past 13 years. Lately, thieves have been prowling neighborhoods and parking lots across Abilene for unlocked cars and vehicles with the keys in the ignition, said APD detective Roy Kirby. The officer sees that happen often in the winter, when car owners start their vehicles to warm them up and then leave them running unattended. Joy-riding youngsters are most often the culprits in motor vehicle thefts, said Mark Rutledge, commander of the West Texas Auto Theft Task Force, which is based in Anson.