The Twin Falls Police Department is urging owners of older model Honda Civics to take precautions due to a sudden increase in the number of Civics that have recently been reported stolen.
Twin Falls police have received seven reports of stolen vehicles in the Twin Falls city limits during the last three months. All of the stolen vehicles were Honda Civics that were manufactured between 1996 and 2000. The vehicles were stolen from various locations around the City.
As of Wednesday, Aug. 14, three of the vehicles in the City of Twin Falls have been recovered.
“Of the three vehicles that we have recovered, it appears that valuables are stolen and vehicles are otherwise discarded without being stripped,” said Capt. Matthew Hicks, with the Twin Falls Police Department. “We would encourage vehicle owners to remove any valuables from their vehicles to make the vehicles less appealing to thieves.”
The thefts are not isolated to the City of Twin Falls. The Salt Lake Police Department and a number of other departments are seeing an increase in the number of vehicles of that make and model that have been reported stolen.
The Twin Falls Police Department has assigned a detective to investigate each of the cases, but the department is also encouraging citizens to take preventative measures, such as locking vehicles, parking them in well-lit areas and using an anti-theft device or car alarm.
The Twin Falls Police Department has received 33 reports of stolen vehicles since January 1, 2013, which is slightly higher than previous years—the department received 31 reports of stolen vehicles during the same time period last year.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the two top months for vehicle thefts are July and August. Nationwide, only about 52 percent of vehicles are recovered.