Michigan Auto Thefts Drop for Seventh Consecutive Year

The Michigan Automobile Theft Prevention Authority reports there were 24,369 reported auto thefts in 2013, a 2.4 percent drop from 2012.

The drop marks the seventh consecutive year auto thefts have declined in Michigan.

In Detroit, there were 11,990 car thefts in 2013, a 4.2 percent increase from 2012.

Terri Miller, executive director of Help Eliminate Auto Thefts, Michigan's statewide auto theft prevention program, attributes some of the statewide decline to improved policing and increased cooperation between police and prosecutors.

"Public education programs and tip lines like the one operated by H.E.A.T. are also major factors in the steady decline of auto thefts in Michigan since the mid '80s," she said.

Since 1986, auto thefts in the state have declined 66.2 percent and 42.8 percent nationally.