Auto thefts have steadily declined in Michigan over the past 30 years – including a nearly seven percent drop from 2010 to 2011, the most recent reporting period. And state officials are giving much of the credit to the Michigan Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA), which was formed in 1986. ATPA was created in 1986, at a time when Michigan had the highest stolen car rate in the country. The program was funded by an annual $1 assessment on each insured noncommercial passenger vehicle in the state. The money goes to law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and nonprofit community organizations. The goal:...
