{"id":2263,"date":"2018-01-01T04:33:48","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T12:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/?p=2263"},"modified":"2025-09-16T14:22:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T21:22:48","slug":"california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even though the rate of thefts has dropped over the past years because of increased awareness and better technology, there are still some areas that are not so hot for you to park your vehicle.<\/p>\n

California metropolitan areas, particularly the San Francisco Bay area, are the leading areas of auto theft in the nation, based on an insurance industry report. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau<\/a>, there were over 29,000 vehicle thefts in the Oakland-Hayward-San Francisco metropolitan area the previous year. This meant that for every 100,000 residents, 633 cars were stolen.<\/p>\n

There are four ‘layers of protection’ that are recommended by the NICB to guard against car theft:<\/p>\n

Common Sense
\nWarning Device
\nImmobilizing Device
\nGPS Tracking Device<\/a><\/p>\n

Common Sense<\/p>\n

This approach is among the most cost-effective and easiest to prevent potential thieves. Basically, it\u2019s removing your keys from the car’s ignition, locking your windows and doors, and parking in well-lit areas.<\/p>\n

Warning Device<\/p>\n

This next approach is placing some type of device in the car to alert thieves that your car is protected.\u00a0 This can include devices such as audible alarms, brake locks, wheel locks, microdot marking, VIN etching or theft deterrent decals.<\/p>\n

Immobilizing Device<\/p>\n

This is a special device that prevents thieves from being able to bypass the ignition and hotwire your car. These include things like fuse cut-offs, smart keys, wireless ignition authentication and kill switches.<\/p>\n

GPS Tracking Device<\/p>\n

This GPS tracking device will emit a signal to the monitoring station or police in the event the car is stolen. These tracking devices help authorities recover the vehicle after its stolen. These tracking devices are important whether it is a personal vehicle stolen or part of a fleet business since they will alert the owner when the vehicle is moved and may be tracked through a computer.<\/p>\n

Central and Northern California still continue to dominate the auto-theft Hot Spots report through NICB.\u00a0 Written in the Insurance Journal<\/a> are the 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the year 2014 that has the highest car theft rate were:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0 Oakland-Hayward-San Francisco, California (Year 2014: 29,093; Year 2013: 29,326)
\n2.\u00a0\u00a0 Bakersfield, California (5,211; 6,267)
\n3.\u00a0\u00a0 Stockton-Lodi California (4,245; 4,245)
\n4.\u00a0\u00a0 Odessa, Texas (886; 764)
\n5.\u00a0\u00a0 Modesto, California (3,047; 3,565)
\n6.\u00a0\u00a0 Spokane\/Spokane Valley, Washington (3,032; 3,205)
\n7.\u00a0\u00a0 Vallejo-Fairfield, California (2,414; 2,540)
\n8.\u00a0\u00a0 Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma, Washington (20,268; 18,128)
\n9.\u00a0\u00a0 Fresno, California (5,260; 6,750)
\n10. San Jose-Santa Clara-Sunnyvale, California (10,531; 10,925)<\/p>\n

It was no easy task to compile all the data, according to Director of Public Affairs, Frank Scafidi. Since there are often multiple towns in the MSAs, NICB staff had to carefully go through each one in order to find component police forces after which compute the total theft number for the MSA in a specific year.<\/p>\n

The best way for drivers to prevent car theft is to remember to lock their windows and doors and when leaving their vehicles, take their keys with them. Also, follow the four ‘layers of protection’ above.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even though the rate of thefts has dropped over the past years because of increased awareness and better technology, there are still some areas that are not so hot for you to park your vehicle. California metropolitan areas, particularly the San Francisco Bay area, are the leading areas of auto theft in the nation, based […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_description":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-applications"],"yoast_head":"\nCalifornia Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@http:\/\/latracker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LaTracker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"George Karonis\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"George Karonis\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13\"},\"headline\":\"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-01T12:33:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-16T21:22:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":466,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Applications\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/\",\"name\":\"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-01T12:33:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-16T21:22:48+00:00\",\"description\":\"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"LiveViewGPS Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Live View GPS Tracking Blog\",\"description\":\"GPS Tracking For The World\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"LiveViewGPS\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1\",\"width\":1737,\"height\":572,\"caption\":\"LiveViewGPS\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/LiveViewGPS\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/LaTracker\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/liveviewgps\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/liveviewgps1\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13\",\"name\":\"George Karonis\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"George Karonis\"},\"description\":\"George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/liveviewgps\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/liveviewgps\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/http:\\\/\\\/latracker\",\"http:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/liveviewgps1\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.liveviewgps.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/george\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas","description":"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas","twitter_description":"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.","twitter_creator":"@http:\/\/latracker","twitter_site":"@LaTracker","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"George Karonis","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/"},"author":{"name":"George Karonis","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13"},"headline":"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas","datePublished":"2018-01-01T12:33:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-16T21:22:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/"},"wordCount":466,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Applications"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/","url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/","name":"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-01-01T12:33:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-16T21:22:48+00:00","description":"Read the LiveViewGPS blog for tips, news, and insights on GPS tracking solutions for fleets, assets, and personal safety.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/california-tops-list-vehicle-thefts-metro-areas\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"LiveViewGPS Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"California Tops List of Vehicle Thefts in Metro Areas"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/","name":"Live View GPS Tracking Blog","description":"GPS Tracking For The World","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"LiveViewGPS","url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-content\/logo_comp-LiveViewGPS.jpg?fit=1737%2C572&ssl=1","width":1737,"height":572,"caption":"LiveViewGPS"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LiveViewGPS","https:\/\/x.com\/LaTracker","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/liveviewgps","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/liveviewgps1"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/abd049c347b27b435c29427839569f13","name":"George Karonis","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/836998d94df74c523489a5812f81f796c0a989e906c6c30724013de6150906ef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"George Karonis"},"description":"George Karonis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of LiveViewGPS Inc., a company he established in 2008 with the vision of making real-time GPS tracking more reliable, affordable, and accessible for businesses of all sizes. Over the past two decades, he has built a reputation as an innovator in GPS tracking, fleet management, asset monitoring, and Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PTToC) communications. Under George's leadership, LiveViewGPS has grown into a nationally recognized provider of GPS tracking solutions, serving businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, law enforcement organizations, and public works departments throughout the United States. The company's technology helps organizations improve operational efficiency, protect valuable assets, increase driver safety, and reduce operating costs through real-time location intelligence. Before founding LiveViewGPS, George developed a background in security, surveillance, and emerging location technologies. His passion for innovation and practical problem solving has driven the development of products that combine dependable hardware with easy-to-use cloud software, giving customers actionable information when it matters most. In 2018, George expanded into nationwide Push-to-Talk over Cellular communications by launching PeakPTT, providing businesses with rugged, instant communication solutions that operate over LTE and Wi-Fi networks. His focus has remained the same throughout his career: delivering dependable technology backed by exceptional customer service and long-term customer relationships. George regularly writes about GPS tracking, fleet management, asset protection, business technology, and communication systems. Through this blog, he shares industry insights, practical advice, and emerging trends to help organizations make informed decisions about tracking technology and connected operations.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/liveviewgps","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/liveviewgps","https:\/\/x.com\/http:\/\/latracker","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/liveviewgps1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/author\/george\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcnFZ-Av","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2263"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7578,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions\/7578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liveviewgps.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}