2012 Annual conference R

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In this issue : (Click on the topic to go there)

From the Director... P. 2

A Thank You Note P. 3

Cloned Vehicles at the Border P. 3

There’s An App for That???? P. 4

Around the Horn P. 5

Labels by Mike Kessler P. 6

Our 2012 Annual Seminar held at the Columbus Police Academy was one in which many new

sights and sounds were found and welcomed! The gracious Columbus Police Academy was host

to our attendees in which break-out sessions included presentations from experts from around

the nation. OATIA was proud to again provide Certified Auto Theft Investigator testing to

those in attendance, and also provided the new OATIA Challenge Coin. To get your coin check

out oatia.org for more info.

The accommodations at the Holiday Inn Columbus-Hilliard were second to none as guests

enjoyed a full conference room for hospitality and newly redesigned contemporary

rooms. Located next door to Ohio Cat, several took advantage of the opportunity to view new

and used construction equipment and increase their skills on readily identifying the high dollar

machinery. OATIA was proud to team with Ohio Cat and NICB to provide additional

instruction in this growing dimension of theft.

Past Director Bonny Rupert was awarded the Rick Thompson Award for Lifetime achievement

for her years of dedication and service to OATIA. Unfortunately no nominations were received

for an insurance investigator of the year award, however this year’s Law Enforcement Award

Recipients were part of a 258 count indictment in Cuyahoga County for a stolen Honda

ring. Cleveland Police Detectives Todd Staimpel, Bob Miles, Kathy Cruz, Ohio State Highway

Patrol Trooper Rick Sprague, FBI Agent Tim Kolonick, and BMV Investigator Mark Hoy were

honored as joint recipients as a result of their hard work in the case.

Our 2013 Annual Seminar is in the works and we are looking for your suggestions and input

from this year’s event. Please take a moment to contact us at [email protected] and also a

reminder to our 2012 attendees to rate the Holiday Inn Columbus Hilliard at tripadvisor.com!

2 0 1 2 A n n u a l c o n f e r e n c e

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J U N E 2 0 1 2 S U M M E R E d i t i o n

Wheel Crime Returns P. 7

Fraudulent Decals P. 7

Electric Vehicle Update P. 8

Contact Us P. 9

OATIA Seminar 2012 Photos P. 9

OATIA Outreach—Akron, OH P. 12

Upcoming Arson Training P. 13-

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Ohio auto

theft

investigators

Association

P.O. Box 164064

Columbus, Ohio 43216

Train. Network.

Succeed.

OATIA.

We’re on the web!

www.oatia.org

The OATIA Newsletter is

published three times annually

and is available through

requested mailings and at

www.oatia.org.

Articles and other materials

posted are for informational

purposes only and do not

necessarily reflect the views or

opinions of OATIA Board

Members, or the Newsletter

Committee.

Comments, suggestions and

submissions are always

welcome at

[email protected].

~OATIA Newsletter

Committee

From the Director...

With great appreciation I am honored to greet you for the first time in the OATIA Newsletter as the Director of one of the premier auto theft and fraud associations in North America. Let me first thank you for the opportunity to serve in this capaci-ty at a time when things at times may seem tumultuous and challenging, but let me reassure you that you our members are bountiful with an ambition to actively com-bat auto theft and fraud no matter what the environment.

Throughout the years, our organization has seen many administration changes on both the private and public sectors along with numerous changes of outlooks, and missions in our daily work. It is essential that our member colleagues, our board, our administrations, you, and I strive to support each other to continue the out-standing level of integrity and service demonstrated the successes of our hard work.

The simple act of communication is sometimes one of the hardest, and one of the superior goals of OATIA is to encourage the cooperation and interaction of our field’s professionals. Our upcoming year has training sessions planned with classes which are trademark of OATIA and are also combined with classes which are being planned through our cooperation with other organizations and experts. These training classes not only provide timely and vital information, but also open the forum for open discussion, networking, and face to face contact. I can truly attest to numerous success stories by OATIA members having met in years past and to-gether worked to obtain successful prosecution or the prevention of substantial loss.

I encourage you friend us on Facebook, and to utilize our member’s only section of our website (oatia.org) to take advantage of the online video training, the NICB Reference section, and the updated contact lists of our membership. Also be sure to make note of the current board member and past director contacts listed in this newsletter. The elected board along with a strong representation of our past direc-tors, and our specialized board committee members are true believers in the asso-ciation’s benefits and are committed to OATIA and its members. Please do not hes-itate to contact any one of us for case assistance or if there is something OATIA can provide to enhance our goals as a profession.

In closing, I wish to echo our membership’s gratitude for Immediate Past Director George Grossenbaugh’s devotion and excellence during his tenure as director. As many of you know, George has a strong “hands on” attitude with a fantastic sense of organization. We are fortunate to have so many excellent past directors who are still actively involved, and I am privileged to report George’s will continue to provide his expertise.

Last but certainly not least, thank you for your dedication in our field! Together we train - we learn - we grow - we succeed.

Director Mark D. Hoy

OATIA is on Facebook!

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O A T I A N e w s l e t t e r , J u n e 2 0 1 2

Dear OATIA Members,

When people join an organization, they do it by choice. They choose according to their interests and

their familiarity with the concept behind the organization. They choose it because they can be around

others who share that common interest and friends who are great fun to spend time with. However,

they must also accept the responsibilities that come with their choice; regular attendance of

meetings, holding office, providing important input, stepping up when needed for everything from

promotion of the organization to cleaning after a night of hospitality.

When I joined OATIA, I did it for all the above reasons. I looked forward to spending time with

people I know, enjoy and respect, and because I believe this organization has done such positive

things in the prevention of auto theft. I also expected some hard work. I expected to be an active

participant, doing whatever I could, whenever it was needed. What I did not expect was to join the

ranks of those honored by receiving the Rick Thompson award.

I could not have been more surprised. Everyone wants to be appreciated for what they do and it was

enough that I always felt that my constituents were grateful for whatever assistance I provided. That

being said, I am so very honored and humbled that I was chosen for this prestigious award of

recognition.

Thank you,

Bonny Rupert

A NOTE OF THANKS

U s e o f C l o n e d V e h i c l e s a t B o r d e r C r o s s i n g s

Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and

Border Protection (CBP) agents

arrested a U.S. citizen attempting to

smuggle illegal aliens over the border

into southern California using a

cloned UPS truck. The same week a

cloned FedEx truck carrying money,

drugs, and weapons was stopped by

county law enforcement in Texas. The

use of cloned vehicles is not a new

practice. Reports include the

companies mentioned above and

others such as AT&T, Wal-Mart,

DirecTV, and cloned vehicles from

federal agencies such as USPS, U.S.

Forest Service, and U.S. Border Patrol.

Local law enforcement should

become familiar with and train for

identification of cloned vehicles.

Some things to look for while on

patrol include:

Improperly displayed vehicle

registrations or no registration

Multiple business names on one

vehicle

Suspicious detouring and driver

behavior

Phone numbers that don’t test

out or no company phone

number displayed

Low vehicle service numbers (i.e.,

005, 0032)

Chrome license plate frames or

vanity license plates

(Source: Homeland Security Today)

To see the original article with links to

references, go to: http://

www.usfa.fema.gov/fireservice/

subjects/emr-isac/infograms/

ig2012/22-12.shtm#3

4

WISER (Free, chemical data from National Institute of Medicine)

NIMS ICS Field Guide (Cost)

Fire Engineering Magizine (Free)

Fire Chief Mag (Free)

CMC Rescue Guide (Free)

CargoNet (Free)

QRG (Free app with info on all types of electric and hybrid vehicles)

Keeper® Password (Free)

mSecure Password Keeper, $4.99 (This is what I use. It's superior.)

JotNot Scanner Pro, $1.99

Recalls (Free version, but upgrade to Pro for $0.99 to avoid ads)

Electools, $0.99

MotionX-GPS (Great for getting GPS fix for scenes, you can add photo to the waypoint file)

Dragon Dictation (Free) Excellent app.

ERG Pro (Emergency Response Guidebook) $2.99

Compass ($1.99)

MagicPlan CSI (Free. Great tool for sketching floorplans.)

123people (free. Extensive people search tool. I found my name, address, and phone, but I'm unlisted!)

O A T I A N e w s l e t t e r , J U N E 2 0 1 2

Sponsor Spotlight

To view our sponsor contact infor-

mation click here or go to http://

www.oatia.org/sponsors.html .

T h e r e ’ s a n a p p f o r t h a t ? ? ?

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JOHN MONE, Associated Press Updated 10:01 a.m., Wednesday, April 4, 2012 CARSON, Calif. (AP) — There were no sexy models or thumping music, but the customs building in Southern California looked a lot more like a car show than an evidence warehouse. Instead of the usual bags of meth, caches of guns or knockoff Gucci purses, cus-toms officials on Tuesday showed off Ferraris, Mercedes and Audis that were in-tercepted as they were bound for Asia from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Most of the stolen luxury vehicles were seized after they had left the docks labeled as used exercise equipment, authorities said. The 16 vehicles on display, along with four more seized after they'd reached Vietnam, were worth an estimated total of $1.5 million, said Carlos Martel, director of field operations in Los Angeles for U.S. Customs and Border Pro-tection. They include BMW and Mercedes SUVs, an Audi Quattro and a black, 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia valued at $280,000. The ring of thieves might have gotten away with it had they not gotten greedy and gone for the Ferrari. They had used fake identities to either lease or agree to buy the new vehicles in the Los Angeles area, defrauding dealers, lenders and insurance companies in the process, Martel said. The Ferrari dealer used a GPS installed in the elite car to track it to an area near the ports, and tipped off customs agents in February, Martel said. The tip led to an investigation of the ring by CBP and the California Highway Patrol, and the seizure of a few vehi-cles. Then last week, a suspicious ship was ordered to return to the port shortly after departure. "They were all the way out to sea, on their way to Hong Kong and Vietnam," Martel said. Inside containers that had been declared on the manifest as "used exercise equipment" they found a dozen vehi-cles. Other than the Ferrari, the Audi and a Toyota Tundra pickup, most of the seizures were of luxury SUVs including several from the BMW 5 series, along with others made by Lexus, Mercedes and Infiniti. As pricey as the vehicles are, they would have pulled in far more in Vietnam and Hong Kong. "They're worth anywhere from two to three times the value of what they're worth in the United States," Martel said. U.S. customs is working with officials in Vietnam to return the four vehicles that made it there, Martel said. The investigation remains in its early stages and no one has been arrested, Martel said. He would not comment on when arrests may occur, or on the size or reach of the operation. ___ Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

-Submitted by George Grossenbaugh

F e d s i n L A s e i z e 1 6 u p s c a l e c a r s b o u n d f o r A s i a

Do you have news to share?

Email it to Clayton James at

[email protected] to

include it in the “Around the

Horn” section of the next

newsletter!

6

Labels can say what the printer wants them to say! By Mike Kessler

You may have heard the term logarithmic technology or Moore’s law, regarding technology, specifically with regards to the

number of transistors in dealing with integrated circuits. My purpose is not to overload you with computer lingo, but rather to show you, because of expeditious advances in technology, the investigators role regarding motor vehicle identification might require a change in investigative business practices.

Any auto theft investigator having been in the business for a period of time is fully aware of; vehicle identification number (VIN) plate locations, the types of VIN plates, and how those VIN plates are attached. Historically, prior to 1954 vehicles were identified mainly by their engine number, supported by frame, chassis or body number. From 1954 to 1967 vehicles had a serial number or VIN, which were comprised of a litany of numbers or locations on the body of the vehicle. After 1968, all passenger motor vehicles manufactured for sale in North America were required to have a VIN attached to a location viewable from outside the vehicle, basically through the windshield.

Within the last several years, high-tech computer technology hardware, specifically color laser printing devices, intermingling with sophisticated software, such as Adobe Photoshop creative suite, and CorelDraw, has made the job of the validation of a VIN attached to a location viewable from outside the vehicle a challenge!

What does this mean for the investigator, or worse case, the patrol officer on the road? I would ask you, the reader, based on current high resolution color printing devices, if you had to identify a color Mylar or plastic vehicle identification number, let’s say at night, would you be able to do it? More importantly would you put your reputation behind your identification, or as I might suggest would you prefer to have a few more vehicle qualifiers in your toolkit for the vehicle examination? I would venture to say most of us would like as many of those qualifiers available as possible when it comes time to authenticate the motor vehicle in front of us.

Regarding motor vehicle inspections or examinations, I propose the following to investigators;

First, let there be light, use the daylight rays to your advantage, I would tender that unless it is an absolutely life threatening event, wait until daybreak before you examine the vehicle identification components. The manufacturer is not concerned about you, the investigator when it comes to the design and placement of the confidential or secondary VIN, and you need light to help make an authentic identification.

Second, trust the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Certification or anti-theft label about as far as you can sail it through the wind, in fact I would suggest the more professional it looks, or the more labels you find on the vehicle you are examining, the more you might question the genuineness of the label(s). Criminals are enterprising, and are aware investigators may not know exactly how many anti-theft labels are supposed to be on the vehicle, as well as the exact locations of those labels. The point I am trying to make is keep an open mind when you are examining any labels on the vehicle. Labels can say anything the “printer” wants them to say.

Third, skip the extra cup of coffee each day for a month, and use that money to purchase an On Board Diagnostics (OBD) reader for as little as $34.50, and put that tool in your toolbox. If you have to have the latest and greatest, then spend the funds and by all means go high-tech. This device can quickly provide you with a VIN which may assist you in the authentication of the VIN you believe to be the true and valid VIN.

Fourth, know where your local (new or used) vehicle dealerships are, and who you can contact in order to arrange comparative vehicle identifications. Since many of us are visual learners, having access to a similar year, make, and model vehicle labels, for location and wording may go far when you are examining an unfamiliar vehicle.

Finally know who your local National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) representative is and now to reach them; they are a great resource for secondary/confidential VIN locations and other vehicle identifiable markings.

Happy motor vehicle identifying!

About the Author: Ohio BMV Investigations Supervisor Mike Kessler (Cincinnati District 6) contributed this article and brings to Ohio over 13 years of experience as an Advanced Investigator with the Georgia Department of Revenue and is a Certified Master Instructor. Mike is a proud alumni of the Georgia Auto Theft Intelligence Council (GAITC) and be contacted at [email protected]

O A T I A N e w s l e t t e r , J u n e 2 0 1 2

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By SARAH MASLIN NIR It was before dawn on Monday when a New Rochelle patrol officer spotted a car carrying two men suspected in a series of thefts in the area. He flicked on his lights. The suspects sped off, beginning a chase that ended in the Bronx, when their car slammed into a bank of parked cars, killing one of the men and injuring the other. Inside the crumpled vehicle the police made an unusual discovery: the passenger who died at the scene, Francisco Santana-Pena, had a car wheel on his lap. The men, the police said, had just stolen a half-dozen wheels from near a Honda dealership, which a week earlier was the target of a more audacious heist of 72 wheels that left rows of gleaming new cars perched on cinder blocks. The sight of partially dismembered cars left up on blocks was fairly common decades ago, when it came to symbolize cities lost to crime. But wheel and tire thefts are now resurgent around the country, thanks to anonymous online marketplaces that provide easy access to customers, and advances in power tool technology that allow thieves to remove them with the speed of a Nascar pit crew. What is

generally stolen is the entire wheel, which is then sold in the form of its individual components: tire and rim. “All you have to do is jack up the car, remove the lug nuts and remove the wheels,” said Captain Joseph F. Schaller of the New Rochelle Police Department. “If you know what you’re doing it can be done pretty quickly — in a matter of a minute or two.” Though law enforcement authorities say they do not have the statistics that show these types of thefts are on the rise — in part because many are not reported to the police or to insurers — many community leaders across the country say they are seeing a worrisome uptick. The resurgence, they say, has prompted car owners to take special protective measures, like organizing neighborhood patrols, outfitting houses with street-facing surveillance cameras and using locking lug nuts to deter thefts. “It’s a crime we haven’t seen much of since the ’80s,” said Peter F. Vallone Jr., a city councilman who represents Astoria, Queens, where a spate of thefts has prompted residents to train volunteer “block watchers” to patrol the neighborhoods starting this weekend. “And it unfortunately, I believe, is a harbinger of a return of

crimes we thought were in our past.” Wheels are taken from cars parked on sleepy streets, in unattended parking lots, or even in private driveways. But large-scale thefts like the one in New Rochelle, where thieves cut their way into the lot through a chain-link fence, have been occurring around the country, in places like Jacksonville, Fla., Oklahoma City, and Harrisburg, Pa., where over a hundred were stolen on a single night last year. In Michigan, tire thefts have risen significantly over the past five years, said Terri Miller, the executive director of Help Eliminate Auto Thefts, which provides law enforcement agencies with crime reports gathered through its statewide tip line. In Woodside, Queens, Jonathan Reuning, who periodically looks after a friend’s Honda Fit, awoke to find it stripped of its wheels one morning in February. As he stood beside the car in shock, Mr. Reuning said, two separate passers-by approached and showed him cellphone photos of their own cars in the same condition. “I didn’t feel so alone, but at the same time it was angering,” Mr. Reuning said. (See Wheels, continued on page 11.)

F a s t - P a c e d T h i e v e s R e i n v e n t t h e W h e e l C r i m e

Mark Hoy was alerted to this website that sells “Licensed VIN Decals.” ECS Automotive Concepts sells OEM quality decals for collision repair shops to replace decals that may be removed during the repair process. The company home page states that it is the “Preferred Vendor for CARSTAR.”

A VIN decal can be delivered in as little as two days from a

digital photo submitted through the company’s online ordering system. The site states it only sells to verified collision companies. See for yourself at:

http://www.ecsvin.com/index.php

N e e d a F r a u d u l e n t d e c a l ?

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E l e c t r i c v e h i c l e u p d a t e , J U N E 2 0 1 2

One of the biggest hazards of

responding to electric vehicle

incidents:

“Silent Powered Movement.”

The vehicle can move, even if you

don’t hear the engine running.

DID YOU KNOW?

I had the opportunity to attend the

NFPA Electric Vehicle for Emergency

Responders Train the Trainer Course

in Lexington, Kentucky this past Feb-

ruary. This free course is available to

all responders that may deal with elec-

tric vehicles as part of their duties. The

course takes about 3 – 4 hours to com-

plete, depending on if your class has an

exemplar electric vehicle to actually

put hands on.

The training class consists of a total of

six (6) modules that includes basic

electrical concepts / hazards, electric

vehicle systems and features, initial

response to emergencies involving

EVs, and emergency operations. The

course is provided free of charge by the

National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA) through a grant from the U.S.

Department of Energy. Students that

complete the course receive a comple-

tion certificate from the NFPA.

I had an opportunity to join our class

instructor for lunch. Fortunately for

us, he has a fire investigation back-

ground and understands the need for

training that specifically addresses the

nature of investigative vehicle work.

The NFPA is currently fulfilling its

grant obligation to the DOE of con-

ducting a train-the-trainer course in

each state. Future courses that address

specific needs for investigators and tow

truck operators are planned, but may

be provided for a fee to recoup pro-

gram administration costs.

In the meantime, this class is a great

course for any investigator that must

NFPA Electric Vehicle

Safety Training: A

Great “Crash” Course

for Investigators

complete vehicle inspections or exami-

nations as part of their duties. Whether

you are a law enforcement officer

searching for concealed drugs or a fire

investigator conducting a vehicle exam-

ination, the information provided in

this course can be adapted to keep all

investigators safe when working

around electric vehicles.

In addition to training delivery by NFPA authorized instructors (you must complete the Train-the-Trainer to ap-ply for student certificates); plans are on the horizon to also offer an online version of the course. For more infor-mation, go to http://www.evsafetytraining.org/ . If you are interested in hosting the NFPA EV Safety for Emergency Responders course as part of an OATIA Outreach event, you can email me at [email protected] . Clayton James Newport Fire Department, KY

1. EVs and hybrids are a fad. MYTH. It is estimated that there will be 2 mil-lion hybrids on the road this year. 2. EVs and hybrids can move unexpect-edly at an emergency scene. REALITY. The greatest hazard from an EV / Hybrid isn’t being shocked, IT’S BEING RUN OVER! We call it the “silent movement haz-ard.” An electric vehicle can be on without the engine running. If placed into gear, the vehicle can move, injuring law enforcement or fire service personnel on the scene. 3. It is difficult to distinguish between a conventional vehicle and EV / Hybrid of the same model. REALITY. Most hybrids look like their con-ventional counterparts. There aren’t any re-quirements for labeling, but training can help investigators recognize specific features and markings to identify the vehicle as an EV / Hybrid. 4. High- voltage batteries will leak a

significant amount of elec-trolyte if damaged or breached. MYTH. High-voltage batteries are not like your 12V lead acid car battery. These batteries are in-stalled in protective cases to pro-tect the dry cells. If the case is breached, a few drops of battery coolant may leak, but this is very little. 5. You can get electrocuted from touching an EV / Hy-brid that is submerged in wa-ter. MYTH. The high-voltage electri-

cal systems in EVs / Hybrids are

isolated from the vehicle chassis.

Myth v. Reality

EV IQ

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F e e l f r e e t o c o n t a c t t h e B o a r d o r

P a s t D i r e c t o r s ~ W e ’ r e h e r e f o r y o u !

Ken Cochran [email protected]

Tomi Dorris (614) 249-0368 [email protected]

Andrea Dwyer (330) 659-7520 [email protected]

Tammy Getz [email protected]

Denny Goodhart (216) 587-4305x133 [email protected]

George Grossenbaugh (513) 870-2124 [email protected]

Mark D. Hoy (440) 845-1264 [email protected]

Ralph Kisor [email protected]

Jim Mendenhall (614) 752-6601 [email protected]

Judy Neel (216) 214-6286 [email protected]

John Paskan [email protected]

Glen Patton [email protected]

George Phelps (513) 207-1085 [email protected]

Sean L. Rizor (419) 327-8982 [email protected]

Bonny Rupert (330) 770-0559 [email protected]

Mike Russell (330) 898-2945 [email protected]

Larry Skaggs (330) 898-2945 [email protected]

Mark Spicer [email protected]

Fred Stevens (330) 375-2530 [email protected]

Patrick Vickery (440) 476-7635 [email protected]

Alvin Ware (330) 782-0055 [email protected]

Sam Warren (937) 665-0865 [email protected]

Mark York [email protected]

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O A T I A A n n u a l C o n f e r e n c e 2 0 1 2 p h o t o g r a p h s

11

(Wheels, continued from page 7.) Thieves prefer newer alloy wheels, some of which can cost upward of $500. And because wheels are rarely equipped with tracing devices, they are rarely found, making it a less risky, though also less lucrative, alternative to stealing an entire car. The theft of car parts is not limited to wheels, according to officials. Other targets include air bags, navigation systems and catalytic converters. But tires are the easiest for thieves, armed with cordless power tools and typically working as a crew, to take quickly. Along industrial strips like Linden Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, it is not uncommon for people on the street to hawk tires. While it is usually unclear if the tires are stolen or merely castoffs, a man in a shop beneath a Flats Fixed sign said they had a policy of refusing all offers, which come as often as twice a week, no matter how good the deal. More often, though, stolen tires are peddled online, according to law enforcement officials. In a twist, such sites can be the very place many people turn for replacements after they have been robbed. Because people are not required to insure their cars against theft of parts, the numbers of this type of claim don’t accurately reflect its prevalence, said Frank Scafidi a spokesman for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization that tracks car thefts and related crimes. He expressed skepticism that tire theft was on the rise. Kenneth Lack, a deputy inspector with the Nassau County Police Department, said a recent spike in cases — 135 have been reported since this time last year — prompted the department to begin tracking tire thefts as a separate crime. “It wasn’t really an issue for us in the past,” he said. Even before his dealership was targeted by wheel thieves, J. R. Buchbinder, the general manager of Honda of New Rochelle, was familiar with the phenomenon. He said cars commonly arrived to be repaired at the service shop on flatbed trucks, missing all four wheels. “Whomever is buying them should be ashamed of themselves,” he added. “Because they’re promoting it.” (The New Rochelle Police Department said it planned to charge Starling Santana, 20, the driver in the car chase, with tire theft. Mr. Santana, who is recovering from his injuries, was charged with vehicular manslaughter by the New York Police Department in the death of the other suspect, Mr. Santana-Pena, 24.) As a result of the thefts law enforcement officials, neighborhood leaders and even car dealerships are urging car owners to take protective steps. These include installing locking lug nuts that require a special key to remove, though those, too, can be broken by determined thieves. Other measures include using a large tire lock, similar to the boots used by police for unpaid parking tickets, or simply parking the car with its wheels turned at an angle, to make removing them more difficult. Ms. Miller, from Help Eliminate Auto Thefts, said such steps might only serve to slow thieves down. She suggested

parking in a garage. “Other than that,” she said, “There is not a lot of prevention.”

This article was taken from the New York Times on June 12, 2012. It was published online on June 7, 2012. To view

the original article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/08/nyregion/car-wheel-thieves-use-technology-to-revive-an-

old-school-crime.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Submitted by Clayton James

M o r e S e m i n a r 2 0 1 2 p h o t o s

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The Ohio Auto Theft Investigators Association in conjunction with Akron Police Department & FOP Lodge #7

are sponsoring a FREE TRAINING PROGRAM on September 13, 2012 at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #7; 2610 Ley Dr.; Akron, Ohio 44319

Wednesday, September 12, 2012 1600 – 1800 OATIA Board Meeting at hotel 1900 – 2330 Information Exchange at hotel Thursday, September 13, 2012 0800 – 0900 Registration with OATIA Staff 0900 – 0915 Opening – Mark Hoy, OATIA Director 0915 – 1030 Basic Vehicle Identification George Grossenbaugh – Cincinnati Insurance John Paskan – NICB Dennis Goodhart – OSHP 1030 – 1045 Break 1045 – 1200 Registration & Title Focus (Dealer Plates, Special Plates, Temporary Tags) Mark Hoy – Investigator , Bureau of Motor Vehicles 1200 – 1300 Lunch TBA 1300 – 1400 Heavy Machinery Identification & Recognition John Paskan – NICB 1400 – 1415 Break 1415 – 1600 Heavy Machinery Identification & Recognition (Continued) John Paskan – NICB ========================================================================

Hotel Information: Holiday Inn Express & Suites; 898 Arlington Ridge East; Akron, OH; 330-644-5600

Hotel Rate TBA. Please use Rate Code – OATIA0912

To reserve your seminar registration: Register on line at www.OATIA.org or E-mail to [email protected]

If you have any questions contact Fred Stevens at 330-472-8242. **Please feel free to forward this to anyone you feel may also be interested!**

Registration Information:

Name: __________________________ __ Affiliation: __________________________ _______

Address: _________________________ City: __________ ________ State: ____ Zip: __________

Phone #: __________________ Fax #: ________________ OATIA Member: Yes ____ No _____

E-Mail Address: _____________________________________________________________________

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SAVE THE DATE!

2012 Greater Cincinnati Regional Arson and Fire Investigation Seminar

Oct 25 and 26, 2012 at Evendale Community Center Agenda:

Thursday Oct 25 7:30 – 8:30 Open Registration, Coffee and Doughnuts 8:00 – 8:30 Opening remarks/Recognition of former members 8:30 – 12:00 Fire Scene Digital Photography: Class will review manual camera settings, tech-

niques for low light photography and capturing larger fire scenes at night. Bring your camera with manual settings and a tripod to participate in instructor-led demonstra-tions. Tim Carnahan Detective - Boone County (KY) Sheriff

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch-Provided 13:00 – 16:00 NFPA 921 and The Scientific Method; Three Fire Fatality Case Studies

Mike Vergon - ATF 16:00 - 16:30 Ohio Chapter of the IAAI Meeting Friday Oct 26 8:00 - 12:00 Ethical Considerations for the Fire Investigator

Jack Morgan – Jack Morgan Investigations Matthew Smith – Esq. of Smith, Rolfes, and Skavdahl, Co. LPA

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch - Provided 13:00 – 15:00 Clandestine Drug Lab Fire/Explosion Hazards

Scott Duff / Dwight Aspacher - Ohio BCI, Clandestine Drug Lab Unit 15:00 – 16:00 Testing and Certificates For Seminar Information, go to: http://www.gcrafis.org/index.html

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