if your car gets stolen you have to sign a statement swearing your not lying when you report it to the phoenix cops! heil hitler the police state has been here a long time! Original Article Auto-theft reports are often faked, police say Judi Villa The Arizona Republic Sept. 4, 2005 12:00 AM A troubling number of auto thefts reported to police each year actually may be bogus, jacking up the state's auto-theft rankings undeservedly and ultimately causing higher insurance premiums for all drivers. Some Valley police estimate as many as 25 percent of auto-theft reports are fake, a trend fueled by more than a decade of allowing victims to report their losses over the phone virtually unchecked. Police say it's not uncommon to see an owner who can't afford payments either sell his car to a chop shop, hire someone to steal it or simply abandon it, then report it stolen. Other "victims" lend the car to someone who doesn't return it on time, or ditch it after an accident, then report it stolen. As a result, Valley police agencies are beginning to revert back to the old way of dispatching officers to investigate every auto-theft report in person. The shift comes amidst a myriad of successful Valley-wide efforts to squelch a burgeoning auto-theft problem but is aimed specifically at weeding out the unsettling number of fraudulent theft reports. "It's very hard to judge someone's truthfulness over the phone," said Phoenix police Sgt. Matt Giordano, who works auto thefts. "When you're looking at them face to face, it's much easier to identify indicators of deception." Frank Scafidi of the National Insurance Crime Bureau said in cities across the country where auto-theft reports are taken in person, "the numbers are just falling off precipitously." Exact fraud numbers are hard to come by, but national estimates from the Insurance Research Council put the figure as high as 40 percent of auto-theft claims. Since its inception in 1997, the Arizona Vehicle Theft Task Force has investigated more than 300 fraud cases.In Arizona, fraud adds an estimated $180 to the annual premium for the average family, according to the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority. In the Valley, the Phoenix Police Department is the largest law enforcement agency to switch to in-person reporting. Ann Armstrong, the theft authority's spokeswoman, said other agencies are "looking to Phoenix" to see how their numbers fall before following suit. "Obviously Phoenix getting away from (in-person reporting) had a really big impact," Armstrong said. "It just kind of left the door wide open for thieves, and crafty thieves, to do things without having too many questions asked. It's a lot easier to pick up the phone and tell a little white lie than if you have a uniformed officer in your living room." Phoenix piloted its program in the Cactus Park Precinct in northwest Phoenix in March 2004, and the last of the city's six precincts came online Aug. 1. Citywide, the number of auto-theft reports already is tumbling. Phoenix also require those reporting auto thefts to sign an agreement that they are telling the truth and acknowledging they can be prosecuted if police find out they lied. "This agreement idea isn't new," said Phoenix police Lt. Lisa Messina, who oversees the auto-theft detail. "This is the way we did business 15 years ago. . . . It's obviously been successful in eliminating these reports. It just makes sense. It's not rocket science. It's just doing investigations." Other agencies have at least tried similar programs. Tempe police now take all auto-theft reports in person, although officers do not require victims to sign an agreement. Glendale moved to in-person reporting for about six months and even though auto-theft reports initially dipped, officers abandoned the program recently because response times were too long. Glendale police still require auto-theft victims to sign the agreement. Police say the programs already are making a difference. Consider: In Phoenix's Cactus Park Precinct, auto-theft reports fell 12.7 percent in a one-year period that ended in May. Other precincts that phased in the program also have seen reports drop significantly. Auto thefts in Tempe fell 25 percent between 2002 and 2004. The city began in-person reporting in 2003. In 2002, the Phoenix metropolitan area was the nation's top hot spot for auto theft. The following year, the area fell to second place, and in 2004, it ranked fourth, a drop at least partially attributed to in-person reporting. "Those areas that do over-the-phone (reporting) see a lot higher incidence of fraud," Scafidi said. "When people have to walk into a police department or face an officer to make a claim, that's going to deter a lot of those things. "A person might not be inclined to go forward with a conspiracy if they have to go face to face with an officer." Telephone reporting became popular more than a decade ago when agencies across the Valley saw a drastic increase in calls for service. Handling crimes like burglary and car theft over the phone freed up officers to respond more quickly to emergencies. "The thought was when you go out there, there was nothing to investigate. The car was stolen. The crime scene was gone," said Tempe police Sgt. Joe Brosius. But auto thefts skyrocketed, and cities have been scrambling for years to rein in the numbers. They are snaring thieves with bait cars, etching vehicle identification numbers on windshields and educating the public. In-person reporting now is seen as a way to further chip away at auto theft. "You go out and talk to somebody and you realize that sucker's lying to me," Brosius said. "You pick up on those things. . . . We don't get a whole lot of false reports anymore." On a recent morning, the primary job of Phoenix police Officer Chris Olson was to respond to auto-theft calls. Olson said some stories are obviously true while others quickly raise "red flags" that might not be caught over the phone. In person, Olson said, he's more likely to pick up on inconsistencies in a story or to notice that a person won't look him in the eye. "It's important to be in person," Olson said. "You see the person. You understand what the situation is a little better. It's easier for me to tell when they're lying. "On the phone, they could tell one story and nobody's going to question them. I definitely think it's more effective being out here live."