News Release
For Immediate Release
October 18, 2011
Contact: Aaron Zappia
(215) 657-7700

Committee Approves Greenleaf's Auto Theft Prevention Bill

Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee approved Senator Greenleaf's legislation, SB 86, to assist law enforcement in cracking down on auto theft in Pennsylvania.

"The crime of auto theft has become increasingly complex and auto thieves have become more organized," said Senator Greenleaf.  "Pennsylvania's existing laws need to be amended to help prosecutors charge someone with auto theft."     

Organized criminals are increasingly involved in stealing vehicles, altering their identities and selling the vehicles to unsuspecting consumers, or shipping the vehicle to other countries where they are sold on the black market.  They also steal vehicles to chop them up to sell the parts. The profits from these thefts are often used to supplement other criminal enterprises.  Legislative revisions can improve law enforcement's efforts to investigate more complex cases, as well as improve their ability to locate and recover stolen vehicles and parts. 

Under the bill, the Motor Vehicle Chop Shop Act is expanded to include "vehicle," "trailer" and "semitrailer."  Because trailers and semitrailers do not meet the current definition of a "motor vehicle", law enforcement have difficulty charging thieves who steal trailers. 

Law enforcement believes that the current law is vague when attempting to charge someone with the crimes of profiting from stolen vehicle activity.  SB 86 clarifies the offense of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity to specifically include stolen or illicitly obtained property. The definition of "financial transaction" is amended to include any exchange of stolen or illicitly obtained property for financial compensation or personal gain.

Finally, SB 86 would remedy legal issues that exist today with respect to search and seizure of stolen property.  Current law fails to establish any limits on time for inspections. The proposal would establish that inspections may occur during a shop's normal business hours or any other time in which work is being done.  Also, the current law does not properly limit which vehicles may be searched.  It allows police to search any vehicle on the premises, including private vehicles belonging to employees or customers and fails to provide constitutionally required limits on police discretion.  The bill corrects this issue by limiting searches to those vehicles and parts that are subject to the record keeping requirements of the law.

Since 1994, when the General Assembly created the Auto Theft Prevention Authority, annual auto theft rates have decreased by 60%.  However, SB 86 is needed to help successfully prosecute and convict many highly organized criminals and complicated cases.