The state has six out of the nation's top ten cities for vehicle thefts, with four of those in the Central Valley.
Albuquerque led the nation in car thefts per capita in 2016 according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
But just behind it, Bakersfield came in 3rd, Modesto 4th, Merced 7th, and Fresno 9th.
Heather Graves with the Modesto Police Department says Modesto has actually improved after coming in 1st the year before.
She says police are reaching out to victims to keep thefts down.
“We go door to door and provide victims with steering wheel locks in hopes that they will use those and lessen the chance of their being victimized again,” says Graves.
She also says most stolen cars are recovered.
“Typically, what we find in Modesto is it’s just a quick ride," says Graves. "We do have the occasional strip, but typically, they’re getting from point A to point B.”
Also making the list of cities with the highest rate of stolen cars were Stockton at 12th, Chico at 13th, and Sacramento coming in 32nd.
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