Fighting Car Theft in Santa Maria With Free Vehicle Window VIN Etching

The Automobile club of Southern California, the National Insurance Crime Bureau and Santa Maria Valley Auto Theft Task Force teamed up on Wednesday to help prevent car theft with free vehicle window VIN etching at the Auto Club’s Santa maria branch at the Western Village Shopping Center.

Lt. Charles Jordan, with California Highway Patrol, said ” We put your vehicle identification number on every piece of glass on your car, In 2014 we saw a tremendous reduction, but the first quarter of this year, the vehicle theft is on the increase so we want to do everything we can to prevent cars from being stolen.”

Every car has a unique 17-digit VIN or Vehicle Identification Number.

Here is how the etching works, first they check the VIN and driver ID, they then print out the federally registered number on a stencil, stick it on the windows, and let it sit for 6-8 minutes with a light acid mixture. Officers say an etched window will have thieves looking the other way.

Lt. Jordan said, “It’s easy to access for law enforcement, and if you stole it you wouldn’t want to replace all that glass.”