Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 29, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press tuesday August 29, 2006 a3 top news daring thief steals police car ignition immobilizer now on tap by Bruce Owen c Ity police May install ignition immobilizer in All of their cars now that a nervy thief dubbed the thief of police stole an unmarked police car parked outside an officers Home yesterday. The thief stole the Ford Crown Victo Ria police interceptor from the officers River Heights Home at about 5 . Yesterday. The car did not have an ignition immobilizer or steering wheel club. About 45 minutes later patrol officers noticed the car driving erratically near Mcphillips Street and Jefferson Avenue and learning it was stolen tried to get the Driver to pull Over. He ignored them and instead turned on the cars emergency lights alternately flashing headlights and Tail lights and sped away. Officers also put Down a Spike stick to blow the fleeing cars tires but the stolen car veered around the stick. The Lone thief then turned on the cars Loudspeaker system to yell obscenities at the officers As he escaped. The car was equipped with a police radio but not an on Board computer sys tem. No weapons were in it and it did not have a global positioning system unit installed so it could be tracked by Satel Lite mapping. At about 12 30 ,. Police in the North end ? the area had been flooded by police cars looking for the missing Crown Vic ? spotted it speeding Down Manitoba Avenue near Charles Street. Again police tried to Stop it but with no Luck. About an hour later it was found empty parked on Laura Street Between Alexander Avenue and Logan Avenue. Laura Street resident Larissa Moore said she saw the car parked in front of her family a House but thought it was an undercover officer at work. Who a Ever steal a cop car they got to be crazy she said As the car was towed away for fingerprinting. It appears the thief broke in through the Drivers door and then knocked out the ignition allowing him to Start the engine without a key. Police spokeswoman const. Jacque line Chaput said the theft ? the first of its kind in Winnipeg ? prompted police brass to consider installing after mar Ket ignition immobilizer in its Fleet of about 140 Crown Victoria police cars. A Ford spokesman said police interceptors made in 2004 did not come with the factory installed anti theft ignition system As its a Fleet vehicle for police use Only. Manitoba Public insurance is currently offering incentive programs to get As Many vehicles equipped with immobilizer As possible to reduce the City a chronically High Auto theft rate. We would Welcome All Manitoban to join in our immobilizer program Mph spokesman John Douglas said. Every time a vehicle is stolen it puts us All at Chaput said the missing car was assigned to the services training facade my on Allard Avenue for use As a staff car. The car was not left overnight at the West Winnipeg facility because the rented lot does not have Security. Police chief Jack Swatski said police poured a lot of resources into getting the car Back because the suspect could listen in on police radio transmissions. This police vehicle is equipped with emergency equipment and a radio Capa ble of communicating with our communication Centre Swatski said. Due to the possibility that the perpetrator could use this equipment in a manner that could Compromise Public and officer safety it was imperative that the Effort to recover this vehicle As soon As possible was Given a High the suspect is described As a thin 17?year-old boy aboriginal in appearance 5?8, and weighing about 150 pounds. He has a thin face very Short dark hair and was wearing a White to shirt Light Blue Jean shorts and Black runners. Call police at 986-6230 or crime Stop pers at 786-8477 if you have information. The Winnipeg fire paramedic service is currently installing immobilizer in its emergency vehicles. The device locks the transmission so emergency vehicles can stay running but no one can drive away with it. An ramp spokesman said mounties also do not use anti theft devices. As a Rule they re not at risk staff sgt. Saunders said. They Are either staffed or parked in a secure lot.?. Call out the swat team police car stolen l ets say you woke up this morn ing glanced out the front win Dow and realized your car had been stolen. How quickly do you think police would respond to your Call How Many police cruisers would be Dis patched to locate the car organize a dragnet toss Down a Spike stick to blow out the tires and then pursue the alleged thieves How Likely is it that the canine unit would be called in to search for the perpetrators yeah you should be slapping your knee and laughing your head off right now. If it was your car ? and if you re just an Ordinary taxpayer ? you a be getting an incident number calling aut Opac cursing your bad Luck and figuring out where to get a rental. You would to be expecting the police Force to trip Over itself to recover the vehicle. But that a what happened Early yesterday morning when a police officer looked out his window slapped his forehead and shouted dude where car the $30,000 unmarked Crown Victo Ria did to have an immobilizer although a police spokesperson said the Force May consider having them installed now that the barn door has been closed. We can Only assume the car also lacked the club. Both Are highly recommended and effective methods for preventing Auto theft. I a just saying. The officer had taken the car which was assigned to the police services Academy Home for the night because the facility does to have secure overnight parking. It resembles All of Winnipeg in that manner. The car was left in the driveway of the cops River Heights Home unadorned and Ripe for the picking. This being Winnipeg an enterprising car thief did just that. Late yesterday afternoon the cops issued a news release claiming they tried to Stop the stolen car before they realized it was one of their own. Does that explanation smell to you too lets see a cop car was stolen from a cops House and they Don to know it was us a stolen cop car sure. Ill buy that. Did to matter because around 5 45 ., they failed to Stop the car. The Pur suit was officially on gathering a weird kind of momentum As the morning wore on. The cops spotted the car again at 12 30 . And Well failed to Stop it. Yesterday afternoon Deputy police chief Menno Zacharias said the car which did not contain any weapons was the source of a massive search because it had a police communications radio. The radios allow Cruiser cars to stay in touch with the communications Centre and other officers. This is not the sort of thing the cops want the bad Guys to get their hands on. Still its not quite As major As Dri ving around with a Cache of guns the financial proceeds from crime or a trunk full of seized narcotics. The late afternoon news release suggested the erratic driving of the car thief was the reason the cops were so eager to get their Man. There was no mention of the radio. Listening to the police scanner yes by the fact that there Are 612 Crown Vics registered in the City. Police departments favour this Model so inevitably the search area was Lousy with White unmarked Crown Vics. When they finally found it the car had been abandoned. The bad Guy who used the cars a system to swear at the cops in Pursuit had not left a forwarding address. If the cops spot a stolen car and the ;