Auto thefts in Pa. continue to decline

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett says aggressive and coordinated enforcement has helped cut auto thefts roughly in half in the last 14 years.

Since the legislature established a special authority to combat vehicle thefts in 1994, the number of thefts has fallen from 52,000 to 26,000 last year. The state's auto thefts decreased 10 percent from 2006 to 2007. Philadelphia leads the state in stolen vehicles.

Corbett says the national decrease over the same period was closer to 26 percent.

The Auto Theft Prevention Authority's work is paid for by assessments on more than 400 Pennsylvania insurance companies.

- AP