Ventura County Sheriff's Department

Ventura County communities have seen an increase in thefts of third row seats in full-size sport utility vehicles. The thieves are targeting Chevy and GMC vehicles, although other vehicles with third row seats may be targeted. The thefts have occurred at shopping centers in Thousand Oaks, Camarillo and Moorpark during the daytime or early evening hours.

Thieves are targeting the seats because they are a popular commodity on the resale market. The third row seats can be removed in just a few seconds and resale can yield a profit upwards of around $1,500 per seat. Thieves resale these seats using craigslist, eBay or local swap meets. The replacement cost of a third row seat is around $4,000.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would recommends the following safety measures to prevent you from becoming a victim:

• Secured the third row seat using a cable lock
• Engrave the vehicle identification number (VIN) on a location on the seat. (This will help with identification purposes or decrease their resale value)
• Remove your seat when not in use.
• Lock your vehicle and activate your vehicle alarm system.

In the wake of this recent increase, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind residents to be watchful of suspicious persons or vehicles. If you see any suspicious activity, contact the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office at (805) 654-9511 or
9-1-1 for an emergency.

Nature of Incident: Increased Thefts of Vehicle Third Row Seats
Location: County Wide
Date & Time: July 23, 2013 / 9:00 am
Unit(s) Responsible: Sheriff’s Administration
Prepared by: Senior Deputy Timothy Lohman
Media Release Date: July 23, 2013
Follow-Up Contact: Captain Don Aguilar (805) 797-7349
don.aguilar@ventura.org
Approved by: Captain Don Aguilar

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).