Evening star., 1927-08-14
MOTOR TITLE LAW
URGED BY SUTER
1926 Cars Stolen Here Since
/ August |, SO Recovered,
! He Says, Backing Plan.

Pointing to the large number OF
automobiles reported stolen in the
District recently, Jesse c. Suter. presi-
! dent of the Greater Washington
. Motor Club. declared last night that
adoption here OF a motor vehicle title
law, which his organization advocates.
.ssvill go far toward reducing thefts by
making 1t difficult for thieves to mar
--ket the sUlen cars.
= washington" mid Mr.. Suter. sis
considered by the loGal motor club as
j a dumping ground for stolen cars for
all of this section of the country.
{ While the Police Department is doing
! everything in its power TO thwart the
stolen car menace. the District is
handicapped on account of statute
! projection. 1t has been convincingly
demonstrated in the States where
. motor vehicle title acts have been
. adopted that this method of titling
: motor vehicles has largely eliminated
4. the theft of motor vehicles by render
. ing difficult their disposition after
, theft.
/: Purchasers Are Warned.
"Our club has expressed itself in
. favor of similar legislation for the
District Of Columbia and will work
for congressional action to this end.
. In the meantime, it is advising all
motorists to use discretion in the
. purchase Of secondhand cars. There
are sufficient legitimate dealers in the
District and surrounding counties
. from whom secondhand cars may be
purchased
Three hundred and eleven automo-
| biles were stolen last month, and of
that number 279 were recovered, ac.
cording to police records. Since Au-
gust !. the records show, 1926 have
been taken and SO recovered. The
thefts during the fiscal year ended
June 80 were 3.4S5. and of that mum.
ber 1927 were recovered. Since the
close of the fiscal year others have
been recovered, but the exact number
Is not known with respect to the orig
trial number reported stolen.
Detective Joseph Connors, head of
the police squad charged with the in
vestigation OF automobile thefts, be.
lieves much of the stealing could be
prevented by a little more care on
the part of automobile owners.
Few Go to Much Trouble.
BE sure and take the key from the
transmission and lock the doors Of
closed cars" he counseled. "and much
trouble, inconvenience and expense
will be avoided"
Thieves and joy riders seldom 60 to
the trouble of breaking doors on cars
they want to drive off, Connors said,
although there are rare instances of
persons having crawled beneath the
frame and removed the floor boards in
order to enter the cars
Only the other day. Detective Con-
nors said. sedan left with the key
in the transmission and the doors un-
locked, was stolen and driven to
GAINESVILLE, Ohio. Fortunately for the
owner. ii was recovered and the man
In charge of the car at the time was
arrested
"By the owners carelessness, said
the automobile squad chief, he las
been deprived OF the use Of his car for
several days and put to much incon-
venience and expense in regaining
possession Of it."
Detective Connors thinks the throw
ing OF safeguards about the issuance
OF license tags, similar to those en-
pioyed in issuing permits to drive,
would be OF much assistance to the
police and the owners of au:oE1o-
biles- No checkup is made to veri.
.fy statements contained on arrlica-
lions for license tags, he explained.
adding that it is possible for an ap-
plicant to get tags for stolen cars
without the slightest difficulty.