Q&A Hero

Q: The elements of motor vehicle theft are a. intentionally taking or driving a motor vehicle without the consent of the owner or the owner's authorized agent. b. taking a motor vehicle from the owner with the intent to sell or remove the vehicle. c. taking an automobile with the intent to sell the automobile. d. joyriding for pleasure or for criminal activity.

Q: What is the name of the program instituted in New York City that gives the police permission to stop any vehicle being driven between 1 A.M. and 5 A.M. if the vehicle has a sticker indicating that the owner of the vehicle participates in this program? a. HEAT b. CAT c. ATTF d. NVIP

Q: Transporting a stolen vehicle across state lines is a violation of what act? a. Harrison Act b. Wickersham Act c. Mann Act d. Dyer Act

Q: The most important means of identifying an automobile is its a. title and registration. b. license plates. c. VIN. d. make and model.

Q: The NICB Web site suggests a four-layered approach to combat auto theft: common sense, visible and audible warning devices, immobilizing devices and what? a. slide-lock devices b. tinted windows c. tracing devices d. self-deflating tires

Q: A business that takes stolen cars apart to sell the parts for a profit is known as a a. strip-and-peel shop. b. chop shop. c. midnight auto supply. d. shake and bake.

Q: The profit on stripped auto parts and accessories is a. extremely low. b. fairly low. c. moderate. d. extremely high.

Q: If an officer stops a vehicle, what might suggest that the car is stolen? a. hesitation in answering the officer's questions b. all of these choices c. over-politeness d. nervousness

Q: Someone who needs an alibi or a cover-up for an accident or even for misplacing the car may a. call the police and confess. b. steal a car. c. deface their own car. d. file a false police report.

Q: A possible indication of a stolen vehicle might include which of the following? a. a single plate on a car that requires two plates b. dirty plates on a clean car c. a sloppily applied dealer's sticker d. all of these choices

Q: For purposes of theft, the definition of a motor vehicle includes which of the following? a. homemade motor vehicles, such as kit cars b. hang-gliders c. sailboats d. remote-controlled vehicles

Q: The VIN of an automobile is a. always the same as the EN number. b. the registration number. c. chosen by the owner as a personal identifying feature. d. an unduplicated number assigned to a motor vehicle by the manufacturer.

Q: Which of the following is not recommended as a way to improve an officer's ability to recognize stolen vehicles? a. Keep a "hot sheet" in the car. b. Learn the common characteristics of stolen vehicles. c. Frequently drive through the poorest neighborhoods. d. Take time to check suspicious persons and vehicles.

Q: A juvenile or young person who takes a car for some "thrills or excitement" may be guilty of a. carjacking. b. joyriding. c. aggravated car theft. d. petite theft.

Q: When the police use a car to try to trap a car theft suspect by placing it in a high crime area, the vehicle is called a __________ car. a. hot b. decoy c. bait d. gotcha

Q: What does NCIC stand for? a. National Criminal Information Commission b. National Cooperative Information Commission c. National Crime Information Center d. National Car and Identity Center

Q: A crime in which a stolen vehicle assumes the identity of a legally owned, or nonstolen, vehicle of a similar make and model is called a. counterfeiting. b. vehicle cloning. c. strip and ship. d. invisible theft.

Q: In order to rule out the possibility of a false report of vehicle theft, officers should check to see if a. the vehicle was reclaimed by a loan company. b. the vehicle was reported stolen because someone wanted to provide an alibi for crashing the car or being late to an appointment. c. the vehicle was accidentally misplaced in a parking lot. d. all of these choices.

Q: Which of the following is a type of physical evidence that officers should search for in a vehicle theft case? a. latent prints b. accident damage c. evidence that rake and pick guns were used d. all of these choices

Q: Which of the following agencies cooperates with the police in motor vehicle theft? a. FTA b. NICB c. GMC d. none of these choices

Q: With this type of system, the engine recognizes only the preprogrammed key(s) assigned to the car. a. immobilizer system b. panic alarm c. stop-and-go system d. GPS system

Q: What kinds of strategies have police departments developed to combat auto theft?

Q: What types of information can you learn from a VIN, and how would this information verify that the VIN on the car belongs on the car you are examining?

Q: How is the routine activity approach applied to motor vehicle theft?

Q: List and explain the steps you would take and the questions you would ask when questioning the driver of a vehicle you suspect is stolen.

Q: Why are trucks, trailers, construction vehicles and construction equipment stolen? What are some of the most commonly stolen pieces of equipment in these categories?

Q: What are some of the characteristics of the driver of a stolen vehicle?

Q: What two agencies can help investigate motor vehicle theft, and what does each agency offer in terms of assistance?

Q: Discuss the vulnerability of police cars to theft. What are some of the primary concerns, and what technological innovations have been employed to prevent the theft of patrol cars?

Q: Describe the elements of the crime of interstate transportation of a motor vehicle.

Q: What are some of the red flags that might indicate theft of construction and agricultural vehicles? Give an example from each of the following categories outlined by the National Equipment Register (NER): transport; use and location; equipment and markings; and price.

Q: What is the purpose of the Dyer Act?

Q: Why would someone file a false vehicle theft report?

Q: How does PlateScan work?

Q: What are the six major categories of motor vehicle theft?

Q: Explain how vehicle cloning is carried out, who the typical perpetrators are and how this crime may be linked to other crimes.

Q: The Dyer Act was amended in 1945 to include _______.

Q: Some _______ cars are equipped with telematic technology, which enables the transfer of information between the car and a remote computer.

Q: The National Motor Vehicle Theft Act is also known as the _________ Act.

Q: A(n) _____________ is generally a youth who takes a motor vehicle for only temporary use.

Q: No two VINs are ___________.

Q: If someone answers an ad in the newspaper for a particular car for sale, takes the car for a test drive and never returns it, it is considered a case of motor vehicle ____________.

Q: A(n) ___________ shop may help vehicle owners dispose of a car for insurance fraud purposes.

Q: NICB stands for National ______________ Crime Bureau.

Q: VIN stands for _____________________.

Q: Setting up a __________ operation is one method of combating motor vehicle theft.

Q: High-end luxury cars are the usual targets of cloning. Escalades, Lexus RX 300s, Z4s and BMW 5 Series are among the models most widely reported as cloned by local detectives

Q: Trucks and trailers are generally stolen by professional thieves.

Q: Vehicle insurance fraud is a major economic crime that affects every premium payer through increased insurance rates.

Q: The NICB serves as a clearinghouse for information on stolen cars.

Q: A vehicle stolen for joyriding is generally kept longer than one stolen for transportation.

Q: The Honda Accord is currently the most stolen auto in the United States.

Q: A large market exists for stolen airbags.

Q: There is a specific meaning, other than as an identifier for a specific vehicle, for each of the digits in a VIN.

Q: A stolen vehicle driven by a criminal is more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash.

Q: A motor vehicle includes any self-propelled devices for moving people or property or for pulling implements, whether operated on land, in the water or in the air.

Q: The VIN for each vehicle contains information on the assembly plant where the vehicle was made.

Q: The secure-idle system is a means of preventing the theft of construction vehicles.

Q: The Dyer Act made vehicle theft a federal crime.

Q: Most motor vehicle thefts are local problems involving locally stolen and recovered vehicles.

Q: One characteristic of a stolen vehicle is that it has only one license plate when two are required.

Q: One method of improving an officer's ability to find stolen motor vehicles is by developing a checking system to rapidly determine whether a suspicious vehicle is stolen.

Q: Snowmobiles do not generally have specific identification numbers.

Q: Construction equipment is rarely stolen.

Q: K-9 vehicles are much more likely to be stolen than other police vehicles.

Q: Installing brighter lights in areas where cars are parked has been successfully used to combat auto theft.

Q: Most stolen vehicles are recovered within how many hours?a. 2 b. 10 c. 24d. 48

Q: The state with the most auto thefts is currently a. New York. b. New Jersey. c. Texas. d. California.

Q: Motor vehicle thefts are often associated with a. organized crime rings. b. joyriding, transportation, commission of another crime, stripping vehicles for parts and accessories or reselling vehicles for profit. c. cars, trucks, construction equipment and even recreational equipment. d. carjacking, robbery, getaway cars and car bombings.

Q: Legitimate ownership of a motor vehicle exists when the vehicle is any but which of the following? a. owned by a private person or company b. being sold by an authorized dealership c. in the factory being manufactured d. being loaned to another

Q: Describe some of the investigative challenges of cargo thefts and "leakage."

Q: Outline the three main criteria for an object to be eligible for entry into the NSAF.

Q: Define fraud. How does it differ from theft?

Q: Outline the FBI's two-pronged approach to investigating money laundering.

Q: Compare the two major categories of larceny and theft and describe how to determine them, giving an example for each category.

Q: Explain how larceny differs from burglary and robbery. What elements, if any, do these crimes have in common?

Q: Outline five forms of white-collar or economic crime.

Q: What legislation made identify theft a federal crime, and why?

Q: How does the text define identify theft?

Q: Describe the law concerning found property.