2023 New York Laws › VAT - Vehicle and Traffic › Title 2 - Department of Motor Vehicles; Commissioner › Article 2 - Department of Motor Vehicles; Commissioner › 223 - Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Program.

§ 223. Motor  vehicle theft prevention program. 1. The commissioner is
hereby authorized and  directed  to  establish  a  motor  vehicle  theft
prevention  program within the department which shall have trained motor
vehicle investigators and police officers participating in it.
2. It shall be the duty of  such  investigators  to  conduct  detailed
investigations,  in cooperation with law enforcement officials, of those
entities which may be  possible  sources  for  the  disposal  of  stolen
vehicles  or  major  component  parts;  to  determine the reliability of
applicants required to be registered under provisions of the vehicle and
traffic law; to provide  assistance  to  law  enforcement  personnel  in
determining  sources  of  outlets  for  stolen motor vehicles and stolen
motor  vehicle  parts;  to  cooperate  with  law  enforcement  personnel
relative to the investigation of organized motor vehicle theft rings; to
examine  motor  vehicles prior to the issuance of a New York state motor
vehicle title at the discretion of  the  commissioner;  and  to  inspect
motor vehicles for which a notice of acquisition is required to be filed
pursuant  to  section  four hundred twenty-nine of this chapter whenever
such a vehicle is to be registered for use upon the public highway.
3. The commissioner, in consultation  with  the  commissioner  of  the
division  of  criminal justice services, shall establish a motor vehicle
theft prevention program to be known as the "Watch  Your  Car  Program,"
which  shall  include  the issuance of official decals to identify motor
vehicles that are not normally operated between the hours of  1:00  A.M.
and  5:00 A.M. Participation in the program shall be voluntary in nature
and shall involve the following:
(a) In the presence of a duly authorized police  officer  in  any  law
enforcement  agency  participating in such program, the registered owner
of a motor vehicle shall sign an informed consent  statement  indicating
that the motor vehicle registered to such owner is not normally operated
between  the  hours of 1:00 A.M. and 5:00 A.M. The form of such informed
consent  statement  shall  be  promulgated  by  the  commissioner  after
consultation  with  the commissioner of the division of criminal justice
services.
(b) (i) Upon signing such informed consent statement,  the  registered
owner  shall  be  issued  decals  approved  by the commissioner and such
decals shall be affixed to the owner's vehicle in a conspicuous place as
prescribed by the commissioner. The decals shall be issued  by  the  law
enforcement agency participating in the program.
(ii) The law enforcement agency issuing the decals shall make a record
of  the  decals  issued  to each registered owner. Such records shall be
maintained by the law enforcement agencies participating in the  program
and  shall  be  available  to the commissioner, to the superintendent of
state police, to the commissioner of the division  of  criminal  justice
services and to law enforcement agencies.
(c)  Informed  consent  statement  forms  shall  be  available  at all
participating  law  enforcement  agencies  throughout  the  state.   The
commissioner  may  accept  the format used for the decal and application
used by local police officials in municipalities that  implemented  such
programs prior to the effective date of this subdivision.
4.  The  commissioner  shall,  no  later  than January first, nineteen
hundred eighty-two, submit to the governor and the legislature a  report
on  the  results  and  operation  of  the motor vehicle theft prevention
program.
5. The expenses incurred by the commissioner in implementing the motor
vehicle theft prevention program created by this section shall be funded
from revenues collected pursuant to  sections  four  hundred  fifteen-a,
four  hundred  twenty-one,  subdivision  five  of  section  four hundred
twenty-three-a and four hundred thirty of this chapter.