A new analysis of national insurance and crime reports seems to show Iowa’s thieves are a thrifty bunch — rather than high-powered, high-priced luxury or “muscle” cars, our felons steal more economy models. Instead of Lexus or Honda, the make and model stolen most often in Iowa is the Chevy Cavalier, a humble compact. Department of Public Safety spokesman Jim Saunders says owners have a lot of options to fend off auto theft. “Don’t be fooled by the fact that we have a low theft rate in Iowa,” Saunders says. It doesn’t mean you can’t become a victim and he points out leaving the keys in it or leaving the car unlocked will make it easy for somebody to take it. If you can oafford it, more costly devices offer even more security. There are a lot of car alarms on the market, and services like Onstar and other GPS tracking devices, while more expensive, have helped law enforcement officers locate and recover stolen cars within hours or even minutes of the theft. Council Bluffs and Des Moines were the two cities in Iowa which reported the most auto thefts.
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