San Antonio Auto Theft: Most Stolen Vehicles and Zip Codes to Watch

Auto theft is a common crime across many States, however, for San Antonio in particular, there’s been growing concern over the years with the risks posed towards vehicles in the area. 

As Law Enforcement and Police Departments continue to work hard fighting against auto theft, we explore the dangers of such crime and key statistics that businesses, drivers and Government departments should be aware of. 

The Danger of Auto Theft in San Antonio

Auto theft impacts not just the driver, but businesses, the local area, and general safety felt within San Antonio. 

It poses several dangers, including physical harm, increased risk of other crime like drug trafficking, large financial costs, increased likelihood of car accidents, and a distrust in Law Enforcement.

For businesses and other organizations with parking lots, auto theft and car crime can lead to lowered reputation, distrust, and a loss in your customer base as it displays security neglect to parking lot users. 

Overall, auto theft cannot be left undealt with, and although Law Enforcement continue work to decrease this issue, there are further steps that can be implemented to improve figures and protect vehicle owners. 

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Most Stolen Vehicles in San Antonio

Although all vehicles are at risk of auto theft, some are more popular than others.

Below outlines the top 10 most stolen vehicles according to the San Antonio Police Department:

1. Ford F-Series
2. Hyundai Elantra
3. Chevrolet Silverado
4. Kia Soul
5. Kia Forte
6. Hyundai Sonata
7. Kia Optima
8. GMC Sierra
9. Dodge Charger
10. Dodge Ram Series

Why Are Specific Vehicles Targeted For Auto Theft?

There are various factors as to why particular vehicle types are targeted by thieves, one of these being the increased impact of social media. 

Criminals are now creating how-to guides on breaking into specific car makes and stealing the vehicle with minimal risk involved.

In fact, there was even a ‘Kia Challenge’ trend that appeared on social media that demonstrated the vulnerabilities of particular vehicle types and how to exploit them which led to a surge in thefts for Hyundai and Kia. 

Other factors include:

• Lack of security features present on a vehicle
• Keyless entry systems that create cybersecurity vulnerabilities 
• Demand for particular car components
• The value of a vehicle

San Antonio Zip Codes With the Highest Auto Break-In Rates

Auto break-ins have also been a concern for San Antonio and its drivers as it displays the vulnerabilities of vehicles across the area, and is known to be linked to the issue of auto theft also.

Most recent statistics identified the following 5 zip codes with the highest auto break-in rates:

1. 78216
2. 78249
3. 78245
4. 78230
5. 78251

The 78216 zip code was identified as having the most break-ins within this data, with many relating to the North Star Mall area, whether that be in or near that location.

Further information displayed that some restaurant and hotel parking lots in that particular area of San Antonio were faced with 40-60 car break-ins per business.

This growth in car crime as a whole has been an increasing issue for drivers and local Law Enforcement as break-ins and auto theft often entail lengthy criminal proceedings to resolve and a high amount of resources.

However, the above statistics help provide insight into the key locations thieves will look to target, with parking lots being one of the most, if not the most targeted location for vehicle crime like auto theft.

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How San Antonio Can Fight Back on Auto Theft

San Antonio Law Enforcement are working continuously to fight against auto theft, however, with such prolific crimes such as this, additional support from business and external security providers is a must.

It’s within everyone’s interest to fight against auto theft due to the consequences it can have on the community, businesses, and drivers themselves.

There are several tools in which various industries and businesses can utilize in order to fight back against auto theft, including:

Install Mobile Surveillance

Mobile surveillance provides a flexible, high-quality security response that can be utilized in various settings such as parking lots, public spaces, and in urban areas. 

Providing extra eyes in the sky, they can support businesses, Law Enforcement agencies, and Police Department’s in targeting key areas where auto theft is more prevalent. 

These systems can be used to not only prevent auto theft in San Antonio, but capture and record crimes for evidential purposes. 

Parking lots continue to be mentioned as auto theft hotspots due to the number of vehicles often present there, open access, and assumed lack of security. 

As the market-leader in parking lot surveillance solutions, we understand the best approaches in tackling car crime, including auto theft. 

Whether you’re a retail business or Government building, protecting your parking lot is central in tackling auto theft and minimizing the damage caused to drivers and your reputation.

However, every parking lot’s needs are different, therefore the solution used needs to be moldable to suit you.

The LotGuard PRO Surveillance Trailer provides complete flexibility through its power autonomous design whilst offering a high-quality, live monitoring and recording system for overall protection. 

Fitted with IR PTZ cameras, they provide a near-360 degree view of your parking lot and are backed by remote monitoring services that proactively track, assess threats, and respond promptly to any incidents.

It’s impossible to have eyes on all auto theft hotspots, so implementing the use of mobile surveillance can help to alleviate that burden and minimize the number of car thefts.

Community Engagement Campaigns

As mentioned, to fight auto theft, it takes a collective effort to implement all the relevant steps to prevent and minimize the risks as best as possible. 

From the Government and Law Enforcement to the general public, everyone can do their part to support this. 

However, to get the general public to engage, you need to ensure you’re effectively communicating key messages and information to them on auto theft as businesses and Governmental organisations.

Community engagement campaigns can be utilized to communicate steps San Antonio drivers can take to protect their vehicles, any incidents of auto theft, known hot spots, and the relevant reporting process for any witnesses. 

The method in which these are provided to your community will vary and your campaign should cater to this. 

Establish where residents interact most, whether it be on social media platforms or through community groups. Following this, you’ll be able to create a campaign that directly targets the right audience for the topic.

Increase Lighting and Visibility

For businesses and Government departments responsible for property, parking lots, or public spaces, increasing visibility and lighting at these locations can offer a visual criminal deterrent.

Many criminals will utilize the cover of darkness to commit auto theft due to the reduced risk associated with this time of night. 

However, implementing lighting strips them of this security and illuminates those potential crime hotspots or targets, making it easier for potential witnesses to capture crime, and Law Enforcement also.

Visibility is particularly important for places like parking lots, with them being common targets for auto theft.

Adding lighting to your parking lot offers additional benefits also:

• Providing peace of mind to employees, visitors, and customers
• Boost business reputation and create repeat usage of your parking lot
• Increase pedestrian safety

Find Out Why Parking Lots Are Targeted For Crime

Boost Your Physical Infrastructure

Every property, parking lot, and public space is different, and due to this, so are their requirements. 

However, for some locations such as parks and parking lots, boosting your physical infrastructure is likely to benefit your security and prevent auto theft.

Physical infrastructure includes fencing, gates, access control, and vegetation, all of which help restrict access to unauthorized individuals and potential thieves. 

Perimeter fencing is a popular choice for open space parking lots and parks as it creates a physical barrier between external individuals and the vehicles secured there.

For extra protection, you can install barbed wire onto the top of the fencing to further deter any criminals. 

Although there will be certain locations or enclosed spaces where this may not be suitable, there are alternative options like security patrols and access control that provide a similar response.

How San Antonio Drivers Can Protect Themselves From Auto Theft

Although Government departments, Law Enforcement, and businesses can implement increased security to prevent auto theft, it’s still important for drivers within the San Antonio area to take steps themselves to protect their vehicles also. 

These steps can be communicated via community engagement campaigns and will help remind individuals of additional efforts to implement to minimize the risk of theft.

Below outlines the main advice we’d recommend you provide to residents, visitors, and customers to personally boost their vehicle’s protection at home and in public spaces like parking lots:

• Always lock your vehicle if you’re leaving it unattended
• Remove any valuables from your vehicle if leaving it unattended 
• Park in well-lit locations and secure sites
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Install anti-theft devices or alarms
• Keep informed with local information provided by Law Enforcement
• Attach a GPS tracking device onto your vehicle
• Take extra precautions with keyless cars by keeping keys far from the vehicle or in some form of protection pouch

Preventing crime is a collective duty, so the more individuals aware of the preventative steps they can take to protect their vehicles, the better supported you are against auto theft. 

Why is Protecting Your Parking Lot Important to Prevent Auto Theft?

Parking lots are one of the most at risk locations for auto theft, and as a business, if you own or are responsible for this, you hold a duty of care to drivers to protect their vehicles against this.

In order for San Antonio to tackle this issue, Law Enforcement, the local community, and your business have to collectively work together and boost the security in place for this.

For parking lot owners in the area, this involves increasing the physical security on-site and the best, most cost-effective way of doing this is through mobile surveillance. 

Our Surveillance Trailer is designed specifically to support the needs of parking lots across all sizes, industries, and risk levels. 

Time to take control of auto theft and get in touch with one of our LotGuard experts to establish how we can support you!

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