Motor Vehicle Theft in Metropolitan Areas

Motor Vehicle Theft in Major Metropolitan Areas

James J. Reid

University of Phoenix

Abstract

This paper is going to explain the motor vehicle theft rates in two major metropolitan areas, Charlotte, NC and Tacoma, WA. I chose these two specific places because I have personal knowledge of both cities. I live less than twenty miles from Tacoma, WA currently, and before I was stationed here at Joint Base Lewis-Mchord, WA I lived in Fayetteville, NC, which is a few hours away from Charlotte, NC. Both cities have a known reputation for popular attractions such as the Tacoma Dome and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. When considering the population differences in the cities, one has to remember to consider the other contributing factors such as budget concerns, police force availability, and poverty levels.

Motor Vehicle Theft in Major Metropolitan Areas

This essay will compare the rate of motor vehicle theft as it is reported in the FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) database in 2013 corresponding to two specific metropolitan areas; one of which is right down the street from where I live (Tacoma, WA) and the other is a few hours away from where I grew up (Charlotte, NC): Tacoma, WA and Charlotte, NC. When researching, information according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report (2013), Tacoma reported 844 motor vehicle thefts in 2013 while Charlotte reported 828. The numbers for Tacoma has actually decreased since 2012 as Tacoma reported 962. Charlotte also has shown a decrease from the previous year as they reported 1,037 in 2012. This information indicates that vehicle theft crime prevention is improving in both cities. Population differences between these two major metropolitan areas should also be considered when comparing and analyzing crime rates. While Charlotte shows a higher overall statistic of motor vehicle theft, their population is nearly four times the size of Tacoma at 808,504. While on the other hand, Tacoma reported a population of 202,646 in...