SPOKANE-- Spokane police are keeping a close eye on several suspected car thieves after a spike last month in thefts.
Now police are trying to curb the problem by tracking suspects even before they get out of jail. Last month, officers saw stolen car reports double from 35 a week to more than 70. This month, the number of stolen cars reported is down to about 50 a week. To follow the trend, officers say they just have to follow who is in and out of jail. When there is a huge spike in car thefts, police can usually track it down to repeat offenders. The department of corrections recently notified police about 1,200 people they are dropping from supervision because of budget cuts. Some are still in custody, others are out. Police have created a repeat offender list, which is another way patrol officers are tracking prolific criminals when they are released.
