by KYW's Tony Romeo

Pennsylvania’s attorney general is touting a dramatic drop in auto thefts over the last 14 years.

Pennsylvania attorney general Tom Corbett credits a program called the "Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority" for taking the keys away from a lot of criminals since it was created:

“In 1994, we had 52,000 stolen vehicles. Yet in 2007, 25,800. Obviously, a 51 percent drop -- while on the national level it’s only a 23 percent drop.”

Corbett, who serves as chairman of the Prevention Authority, says Pennsylvania experienced a ten percent drop in stolen vehicles in just one year, from 2006 to 2007. He describes the authority as a “team approach” to fighting auto theft.
 
In southeastern Pennsylvania, while the overall rate went down eight percent from 2006 to 2007, the city of Philadelphia still has the biggest auto theft problem in the state -- even though it has been dramatically reduced.

(File photo)