YORBA LINDA : Anti-Theft Stickers Approved for Autos

The City Council has voted to create an anti-auto theft program much like those adopted in numerous other cities that involve decals stuck onto rear windows of vehicles, instructing police to pull them over in the early morning hours.

The reflective decals would be made available to residents who are usually not on the road between midnight and dawn, when the auto theft rate is high. If an officer sees a car with the decal during those hours, the officer would have probable cause to pull the vehicle over and check to see if it was stolen.

Lt. Bill Lentini of the Brea Police Department, which patrols Yorba Linda, told the council that the inexpensive crime prevention program “would be another tool to stem the crime of auto theft.”

Should a car with a sticker be stolen, Lentini said, the robber would run the risk of being pulled over or be forced to stop and scrape the sticker off.

Lentini and city officials will be formulating a procedure for distribution and registration of decals and vehicles. A final plan must be approved by the City Council before going into effect.

Lentini said that about three cars per week are reported stolen from Yorba Linda residents.

“That is a significant number of cars to be concerned about,” Lentini said.

Lentini, who acts as a liaison between the city and the Police Department, said that he has been researching the effectiveness of the decal program in other cities.

“To my knowledge, police in Orange County have not pulled over a car with a sticker,” he said, which may be an indication that the decals have acted as an effective deterrent. Other cities with a decal program include San Clemente, Huntington Beach, Buena Park, Garden Grove, La Habra and Anaheim.