HONDA ACCORD, CIVIC TOP LIST OF AREA'S MOST STOLEN CARS

Honda still makes the most popular car for thieves, Cape Girardeau police said.

Various model years of Honda Accords and Civics remain targets for stealing year after year for one reason, Cpl. Kevin Orr said.

"There's a market for them," Orr said.

Cars popular among thieves follow market trends, said the National Insurance Crime Bureau, in Palos Hills, Ill. Thefts of high-end light trucks have grown significantly on a national scale, the bureau said.

Apart from two years, the number of car thefts in the past five years has remained consistent in Cape Girardeau, Orr said.

In 1998, arrests of several habitual car thieves led to only 46 thefts, he said.

However, in 1996, the number rose to 135, which is a significant increase for Cape Girardeau, Orr said, attributing the growth to teen-agers and pre-teens taking cars for "joy rides."

Many motives exist for car thefts in this area, Orr said.

"They'll take them to chop shops, for resale, just to do it, or sometimes to commit another crime," he said. "You really have to look at it case by case."

Car thefts are often not solved, said Sgt. Mark Majoros. Although a vehicle may be recovered, the thief is never caught.

Security systems that range from common motion detectors to systems that transmit conversations from within the car can keep thieves from getting away, said Jeff Martin, mobile electronics specialist for Stereo One Inc.

Although car alarms have become so common they are often ignored, devices can be installed that keep someone from driving off once inside a car, he said.

"We have one that disables the starter even with a copy of a key," Martin said.

Other equipment will roll up windows when someone hangs around a car too long, alert the owner through his pager that his car is being touched, as well as cutting off fuel through a long-distance remote control.

Another device, referred to as a "pain generator," emits a high-pitched noise that can be damaging to a person's hearing.

Martin said his equipment is not as sadistic as some security equipment popularized in South Africa, where carjacking is a national problem. It includes flame throwers beneath a vehicle that torch a thief's feet and legs, and knives that eject from the driver's seat.

Taking simple precautions can often make the difference whether a car is stolen, Orr said. A car left running while its owner dashes into a store is an obvious target.

"If a person takes care, locks it up all the time and parks it in a lighted area, this should take care of the problem," Orr said.

Tony Hall may be reached at 335-6611 ext. 122 or by e-mail at thall@semissourian.com.