Yakima, Spokane among Top 10 cities for stolen vehicles
YAKIMA -- The state of Washington has a claim to fame that many other states are happy not to have as the state continues to be a popular place to steal a car or truck.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau's annual report found that overall, auto theft was up 5.9 percent in Washington state from last year. In Spokane, auto theft was up 16 percent and 30 percent in Yakima. Yakima ranks 5th in the nation for auto theft with Spokane coming in 9th in stolen vehicles.
The spike in the numbers reverses a steady decrease in auto thefts during the past decade, the report stated.
In 2013, there were 30,597 vehicles reported stolen in Washington, the study reported. That's an average of 84 vehicles stolen per day and more than three vehicles stolen every hour. The Top 5 cities for stolen vehicles in Washington state are:
1. Yakima
2. Spokane
3. Seatte-Tacoma-Bellevue
4. Portland-Vancouver- Hillsboro
5. Bremerton-Silverdale