After co-chairing an eight-month-long bipartisan task force to address the ever-growing crime of auto theft, Rep. Skip Priest, R-Federal Way, today announced that he is co-sponsoring the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority bill for the 2007 Legislature.

The measure, House Bill 1001, will increase penalties for repeat offenders and allows for inter-county tracking and apprehension of car thieves who travel from county to county knowing that prosecutors cannot follow their crime trail outside their jurisdiction. The bill also has an education element to help citizens understand how they can avoid being a target of car thieves.

"Everywhere I go around the thirtieth district, I hear that strengthening auto theft laws is a top priority for families and communities," said Priest. "Car theft is not just about joy-riding. It's about real families that are affected by the crime. Auto theft most often affects families who can least afford it. If the family breadwinner can't get to work, he or she loses pay for that day. Working families can't afford that. It's a crime that threatens family security and livelihood."

Priest said that like the bill he introduced last year addressing auto theft, this year's bill is about protecting families and communities in his district and statewide. If passed, House Bill 1001 will impose meaningful and just punishments on thieves who steal peoples' cars, make possession of "shaved keys" and other "tools of the trade" a crime, and give police better tools to catch criminals.

"The National Crime Insurance Bureau reports that the central Puget Sound region, including Federal Way, ranks in the top ten of cities with the most auto thefts," said Priest. "It appears that Washington residents are targets because we don't have all the enforcement and prosecution tools to keep repeat offenders off our streets."

Along with tougher penalties for repeat car thieves, the measure will also create a prosecution structure aimed at penalizing car thieves from the first arrest. "The bill will apply real fixes that are needed to ensure law enforcement agencies can work together to better protect families and to put car thieves on notice that they will be punished," said Priest.

Priest also added that auto theft has a dark side, noting that it is a crime closely associated with methamphetamine production, distribution and use as well as identity theft.

Priest said that letting repeat offenders of auto theft free truly isn't about the next car that will be stolen; it's about the families affected and the myriad of crimes committed as a result of auto theft.

He added that while Federal Way has seen the number of auto thefts drop from 1,573 in 2005 to 1,072 in 2006, areas like Yakima have not been so fortunate, having seen a 34 percent increase in auto theft crimes; from 699 auto thefts reported in 2004 to 1,060 reported in 2005.

"Whether an area has seen a rise or drop in auto theft crimes, even one car theft incident is too many when families can't afford the personal costs of the crime," said Priest.

The scheduled 105-day 2007 legislative session began Jan. 8.