Car Thefts Down in Most Ohio Cities

An insurance industry group reports car thefts were down last year in 15 of Ohio’s 16 largest metro areas. The only exception was the Marietta area in southeast Ohio.

The Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) says a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau shows Cleveland had the state’s highest auto theft rate in 2009, with 313 vehicles stolen for every 100,000 residents.

Cleveland’s rate was the 72nd highest among the nation’s major metropolitan areas, down 10 places from the city’s No. 62 rank in 2008. Cleveland experienced a 21 percent decline in actual thefts between 2008-09.

Columbus ranks 93rd nationally with the second highest auto theft rate in the state, followed by Toledo at 99th on the U.S. list, the OII reported. Youngstown-Warren-Boardman at 136th nationally and Dayton at 144th, rounded out Ohio’s top five. All five cities also experienced a decline in the number of thefts between 2008-09.

The NICB says auto thefts declined nationwide in 2009 for the sixth year in a row.