An insurance industry group says the number of vehicles stolen in central Ohio last year rose by 14 percent from 2014. Alison Holm reports.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau says more than 42 hundred central Ohio vehicles were stolen last year, up from roughly 37 hundred the previous year. A spokesperson isn't sure what is sparking the increase. The Bureau also says more vehicles were stolen in Dayton and Akron. The other 12 Ohio metropolitan areas saw theft rates decline or hold steady. The Bureau says there are usually year-to-year fluctuations in vehicle theft figures, but central Ohio's rate rose last year for the first time since 2009. Thefts last year were down by 15 percent from 2009 levels. Columbus' rate of 209 stolen vehicles per 100 thousand residents is 121st out of 380 metropolitan areas in the nation. The bureau says thefts set a record in 1999, when nearly 55 thousand vehicles were stolen in Ohio. In 2013, the most recent year for available statewide data, there were nearly 20 thousand vehicles stolen. The bureau says the national rate has been declining because of newer theft-prevention technology.
