It is estimated that 75% of all crimes are committed with a vehicle. Whether it is a robbery, kidnapping, homicide, terrorism, auto theft trafficking, or any other crime, it is important for a police officer to be able to identify the vehicle they are interacting with or know the steps necessary to identify it. Auto Theft & Vehicle Crimes will introduce police officers to vehicle identification number (“VIN”) structure, locations (public and secondary), and methods to determine the true VIN of a vehicle. Auto Theft & Vehicle Crimes provides instruction on CARFAX for Police and other resources to verify the validity and history of a vehicle’s VIN. Students will dive into the world of organized auto theft trafficking and the theft crew network before learning to recognize many of the current auto theft trends. Students will learn to spot a stolen vehicle, where they are concealed, why factory stolen vehicle location devices aren’t often effective, and ways to identify and catch a thief. Auto Theft & Vehicle Crimes will also teach attendees to utilize technology to track vehicles and suspects to further investigations, even after the vehicle has been recovered or seized. Attendees will leave Auto Theft & Vehicle Crimes with a greater understanding of the important connection between vehicles and crimes. Instructor Cory Rodriguez has been a police officer since 2007 at a state agency in New Jersey.