By Caleb Hutton
Bellingham had the tenth-highest vehicle theft rate in the state last year, according to data released this week by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Here’s the vehicle theft rate for metro areas in Washington, per 100,000 residents.
1. Spokane: 551.8
2. Yakima: 529.3
3. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue: 445.83
4. Longview: 295.7
5. Mount Vernon-Anacortes: 231.1
6. Bremerton-Silverdale: 228.2
7. Kennewick-Pasco-Richland: 185.9
8. Olympia: 171.5
9. Wenatchee-East Wenatchee: 129.8
10. Bellingham: 119.3
Sources: National Insurance Crime Bureau and U.S. Census data.
Spokane had the fourth-highest theft rate in the nation.
The average stolen vehicle was worth about $6,500, according to the latest available data.
In a press release, the NCIB gave the following advice to avoid vehicle thefts:
1) Common Sense
- Remove your keys from the ignition.
- Lock your doors /close your windows.
- Park in a well-lit area.
- Keep valuable items such as bags, purses, cell phones and briefcases out of sight.
2) A Warning Device
Popular devices include:
- Audible alarms.
- Steering column collars.
- Steering wheel/brake pedal lock.
- Brake locks.
- Wheel locks.
- Theft deterrent decals.
- Identification markers in or on vehicle.
- VIN etching.
- Micro dot marking.
3) An Immobilizing Device
Use a device that prevents thieves from bypassing your ignition and hot-wiring the vehicle. Some examples are:
- Smart keys.
- Fuse cut-offs.
- Kill switches.
- Starter, ignition, and fuel pump disablers.
- Wireless ignition authentication.
You can also report vehicle thefts, anonymously and toll free, by calling 1-800-TEL-NICB. But it’s best to call 911 first.
I wonder what the common thread is for all these areas? There has to be something economic, demographic, or law enforcement (or lack thereof) related to the rates.
There was an article in one of the big papers talking aboutcarthefts nationwide. The majority of areas where the top spots of car thefts occurred were in California, Arizona, and anywhere else large populations of Mexicans lived. I am not racist as I am also a minority. I am just stating the facts.
Once again, Bellingham makes a top ten list. Use to be, this was a nice place to live.
When the demographic is high in the non-white sector, the crime rate goes up.
So, as it turns out (astonishingly) Bellingham still is a nice place to live! Bellingham is the 12th largest city in the state based on 2010 census data. We make the top 10 list in this instance because the list groups Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue as one city. If they split them up into separate categories, we would likely not have made the list at all. Given that larger cities tend to have more crime than small towns, it’s neither surprising nor alarming that we made the list.
Having a larger non-white demographic does not automatically equal higher crime rates. There are so many other factors that contribute to crime that it’s almost ridiculous to say that it’s simply caused by race.
Povery and lack of community cohesion are also significant indicators of a higher crime rate.
so you blame mexicans for most of the crime because they steal cars? at least they dont rape, murder and molest young boy like a white man named jerry sandusky, white people to the most sickening crimes, and thats a fact.
I wonder what race has the most notorious gangs? I will not say what race, but they are all along the southern border and spreading. Notorious isn’t even the right word since most are wannabes. Wannabes are to be feared because they want to prove something.
One bad white guy versus thousands of Mexican wannabe gangsters that domestically terrorize communities and regions. Hmmmmm, I can move away from the single white guy you mentioned, but can you get away from the Mexicanos? No.