Cargo Thefts Up 11% Over Same Time Last Year, July 4 Popular Among Thieves

Across the United States, cargo theft is up 11 percent in these rolling three months from the same period in 2014, according to CargoNet, a division of Verisk Crime Analytics, a Verisk Analytics business.

California, Florida, and Illinois have the biggest decreases in cargo theft. But cargo theft has increased in New Jersey and Texas and has occurred in a wider distribution of states in this rolling quarter.

While Texas is always in the top three states for cargo theft in the United States, the CargoNet Command Center noticed increased volume in the past few months. CargoNet examined theft data in the state from March 1 to May 31 in 2014 and 2015 and found cargo theft is up 27 percent. This comes as Texas legislators push for stricter penalties for cargo theft.

Consistent with previous trends, a vast majority of thefts in the state come from just three counties: Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant. Thefts in Tarrant County decreased 33 percent, but thefts in Dallas County and Harris County increased by 31 percent and 175 percent, respectively. Thefts in El Paso County decreased from three in this reporting period in 2014 to zero.

Thefts from truck stops went from being the lowest category in 2014 to the category with the most thefts. Similarly, roadside thefts were low in 2014 but the second-highest category in 2015.

Over the last three years, CargoNet has noted a rise in theft incidents reported to our command center during the July 4th holiday. We’ve provided a snapshot of the events, including theft by state, day, commodity, location, and theft type, from July 1 through July 7.

• $3,500,000 theft of electronics from Los Angeles, California;
• $2,000,000 theft of electronics from an airport in Miami, Florida;
• $1,300,000 theft of apparel and accessories from a truck stop in Newport, Tennessee;
• $495,000 theft of electronics from a warehouse/distribution center in Medley, Florida;
• $300,000 theft of electronics from a warehouse/distribution center in Doral, Florida.

Source: CargoNet