IAATI Component Parts Markings Award

This was a intelligence led operation that stemmed from a leading manufacturer identifying a large number of components from their vehicles were being sold online through sources based in and around the Merseyside force area.

The team utilised their knowledge and skills and trawled the various online sales streams, painstakingly checking images of component parts of vehicles for sale for inadvertent retention of covert markings being present in the images and thereafter cross checking through manufacturer back to Vehicle VIN and there after running Police National Computer checks and identifying those that originated from stolen vehicles. This to our knowledge was the first time we were aware of the online marketplaces being specifically targeted in this way and the opportunity taken to trace covert marking and utilising this process to target criminal gangs.

Without doubt this technique/process has had a significant impact in identifying stolen vehicles with the team over a 7-day period successfully identifying 120 vehicles. 

The process shows how effective this innovate use of knowledge of markings/ covert markings combined with component parts marking can be if a full-time team were set up to scan and review such sites for sales being within their specific regions and its ability to help reduce vehicle theft through enhancing this vehicle identification process.  
 
“Merseyside Police Vehicle Crime Group carried out opensource research to identify the sale of stolen vehicle parts through online marketplaces. The officers coordinated investigative and operational activity to target people and locations of concern. Over the course of 7 days, and as a direct result of work initiated by the Vehicle Crime Group, the officers identified 120 stolen vehicles.

The vehicles were identified through markings on vehicle parts and subsequent liaison with manufacturers. The vehicle examiners are approved contacts for manufacturers (Law Enforcement Automotive Directory). Some of the parts were identified through images being shared via online marketplaces, but the majority were identified by painstaking methodical work across a range of sites. 
 
The team are currently several days into the examination of another large site. Identifications on this site have been made via the same processes. Unlike the main investigation referenced, chemical treatment will also be used to assist in the current case. This was not relevant in the previous investigation, as part markings were either available or had been completely removed i.e., cut out rather than mechanically altered.”

The Components Parts Marking Award, sponsored by Recoveri, Tag What’s Yours, honors any person or organization for distinguished performance where the marking of vehicle and equipment components or parts played a significant role in the success of a vehicle identification investigation or related initiative.  Vehicle manufacturers may be recognized for developing or deploying innovative VIN labels, supplemental ID marks, in-factory electronic parts marking, etc.  

This year we recognized the outstanding efforts of Essex Police Force Officers Paul Gerrish and Phillip Pentelow. On June 30, 2022 we were able to have this award presented by IAATI representatives Mike Briggs, Martyn Huntley and Simon Hurr to Officers Gerrish and Pentelow at the 2022

National Vehicle Crime Conference, co-sponsored by IAATI UK, in London.

Detective Josh Vales (second from left) receiving the 2021 IAATI Components/Parts Marking Award

The IAATI Components/Parts Marking Award is sponsored by Recoveri and honors any person or organization for distinguished performance where the marking of vehicle and equipment components or parts played a significant role in the success of a vehicle identification investigation or related initiative.  

Vehicle manufacturers may be recognized for developing or deploying innovative VIN labels, supplemental ID marks, in-factory electronic parts marking, etc.   Aftermarket suppliers may be recognized for etching or branding solutions, RF tags, microdots, DNA fluids, UV light markings, and other antitheft marking methods.  Nominees must be eligible for IAATI membership but need not be active members. 

Detective Josh Vales (Miami Dade PD) and S.A. Eric Moreno (DHS), were honored for planning and executing Operation “The Last Alamo.” State and federal investigators began working jointly in August 2020 on a case involving multiple thefts of rented high-dollar Jeeps, SUVs, and pick-up trucks. Rental companies were seeing an increase in vehicles stolen from their legitimate renters between January and August of 2020. Internal investigation of some of the rental thefts helped identify two suspects who had rented several of the stolen vehicles before the thefts ultimately occurred. Once the suspect renters returned the vehicle, it would be stolen from the next renter. Suspects were likely installing GPS devices and possibly programming new keys to the rental vehicles.

Investigators were able to establish surveillance on several of the vehicles rented by the two suspects that had yet to be stolen. Two of these vehicles were stolen and tracked to several locations where the suspects were storing these and other stolen vehicles. Several additional suspects were subsequently identified, resulting in more arrests.  To date, our award recipients have recovered over 15 of the stolen vehicles, valued at over a million dollars. During the follow-up investigation, several of the stolen rental vehicles had been taken across state lines and were recovered in New York and New Jersey. Additionally, two of the stolen vehicles were taken out of the country and recovered with the assistance of Mexican authorities.  The investigation is ongoing with additional arrests anticipated and 10 unrecovered stolen vehicles still being sought.

STANCATT members Investigator Darren Ruskamp, Investigator A.J. Palazuelos, Sergeant Mike Brush, Investigator Matt McCain, Detective Kyle Briggs, and Parole Agent Grady Welch receiving the 2021 Component/Parts Marking Award

The IAATI Components/Parts Marking Award is sponsored by Recoveri and honors any person or organization for distinguished performance where the marking of vehicle and equipment components or parts played a significant role in the success of a vehicle identification investigation or related initiative.  

Vehicle manufacturers may be recognized for developing or deploying innovative VIN labels, supplemental ID marks, in-factory electronic parts marking, etc.   Aftermarket suppliers may be recognized for etching or branding solutions, RF tags, microdots, DNA fluids, UV light markings, and other antitheft marking methods.  Nominees must be eligible for IAATI membership but need not be active members. 

Members of STANCATT, the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Taskforce, were recognized for planning and executing their very successful Operation Mudslinger, a VIN-switch investigation based on a tip from a local GMC dealership. In August 2020, a 2020 Cadillac Escalade was brought into their repair shop, which was unable to ascertain its true VIN.  Investigators confirmed the Escalade's VIN as fraudulent but were unable to locate any secondary VINs for positive identification.  A further inspection of the Escalade revealed a cloned aftermarket Daimler-Chrysler ECM had been installed to bypass access to the Escalade's true ECM, preventing investigators from obtaining the Escalade's true VIN electronically.  The Escalade was later picked up by its owner and, for several weeks, investigators conducted surveillance on the vehicle, discovering it was associated with several other VIN-switched stolen vehicles.  Ultimately, the Escalade was seized and, as the result of a Berla download of its infotainment system, its true VIN was confirmed.  During the months-long investigation, these investigators located and recovered the remaining seven vehicles and performed Berla acquisitions of their infotainment systems, confirming the identity of several of these vehicles.  In total, STANCATT recovered eight newer-model high-end stolen vehicles with an estimated value of $527,009.00, identified six additional vehicles, and arrested three key subjects. 

2020 Component Parts Marking Award winner - Warrant Officer Lourens Jacobs

One of our most exciting tasks as co-chairs of the Vehicle Identification Committee is being able to give an award for excellence, proactive thinking, and dedication. This year’s winner certainly displays these qualities so very well!

Below is a copy of his nomination, and since it says it all and so well, we thought it best to simply use this for this year’s APB Components Parts Marking Award description.

Co-chairs George Baker and Reg Phillips

Components Parts Marking Nomination

Nominee: Warrant Officer Lourens Jacobs, Force Number 04685628

Law Enforcement Unit: Westrand Flying Squad, Gauteng, South Africa.

Background of Warrant Officer Jacobs: W/O Jacobs has been an active member of SAPS Law Enforcement for 26 years and practices “Proactive Policing”. Vehicle Crime and Crime prevention as his career passion and contributes largely to his successes. His nomination is well deserved and I have no hesitation in proposing him for the Components parts marking award!

Successes: The successes are based on Vehicles recovered between Apr 2018 to Apr 2020: 

Investigative Techniques applied: Proactive Policing and Crime Prevention are one of W/O Jacob's passions. While on Patrol, vehicles are stopped and checked using the following methods. VIN and Engine Numbers are inspected to ascertain whether there is tampering. Further inspections are done on the VIN plates affixed to the vehicle firewall as per legislation; as well as the windscreen visible VIN. The vehicle is seized any discrepancies found at the time are investigated at the VCIU (Vehicle Crime Investigative Unit) pound. The primary source I use is microdot technology, which allows me to ascertain the original VIN of the suspect motor vehicle. This is the quickest and most effective method and a vehicle’s true identity is established in under a minute! Reactive Policing is achieved by partnering with Tracker and utilizing their advanced tracking system which is activated by a civilian when Hijacked or stolen. These vehicles VIN’s are then verified using part marking technology as part of the investigative process and preparing the case for prosecution and ultimately; convictions.

Total Successes and Values: The total number of cases, proactive policing for the last 2 years amount to 376 vehicles with an estimated value of 45,120,000 (USD 3,222,857)

As a member of Westrand Flying Squad, I am passionate about combatting Vehicle Crime, utilizing “stop, search and seizure” as well as working on “information received” from reliable Confidential Informants (CI’s).  W/O Jacobs is supported by all Microdot MID’s, through the use of apps, to quickly identify the original VIN of suspect vehicles. Further information technology utilized is the Zonke Unicode system to access the sought vehicle register and relevant case numbers, in order to seize vehicles and impound them.

Mr Motsamai Mollo
NAAMSA
Security Committee Chairman

The IAATI Component Parts Marking Award, sponsored by Recoveri Tag What’s Yours?, was presented by IAATI Director Reg Phillips (Canada) and President Bill Johnson to Vehicle ID Specialist Detective Warrant Officer Barry Thysse from the Vehicle Crime Investigate Unit (SAPS), KwaZulu Natal South Africa September 16, 2019, at the 2019 International Association of Auto Theft Investigators International Training Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.  

IAATI’s Components Parts Marking Award, sponsored by Recoveri Tag What’s Yours? is intended to honor a person or unit that has distinguished themselves with initiative and/or in- vehicle theft investigations where components parts marking played a significant part in the success.

This year the award was presented to Vehicle ID Specialist Detective Warrant Officer Barry Thysse at the Vehicle Crime Investigative Unit (SAPS), KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Since 1993 Officer Thysse has honed his skills in Law Enforcement and his passion has to lead him into the world of vehicle ID markings. Over these last 26 years, Officer Thysse has been involved with many investigations, across multiple jurisdictions and involving many diverse assignments but it is always the same… he applies what he has learned and with diligent effort delivers the goods.

Officer Thysse first joined IAATI in 2011 to be a part of a network of fellow LE Officers that could sharpen his skills and during his membership has been able to share his experience and knowledge across the 54 police stations in his area. The strangest request he ever had for training was by the South African Army Special Forces to give them practical training on how to steal a vehicle. At first, this request seemed to be a joke but it soon became evident they were serious… they needed Officer Thysse’s knowledge to increase their escape and evade ability. It appears the moral of this story is you just don’t know where your training and skills will take you so always be ready for an adventure!

If you have worked with Officer Thysse, the view you would use to identify him would be more like the photo below… where he has his head buried inside a vehicle and using his trusty light scoping out the ID marks of a vehicle.

In the year 2018 alone Officer Thysse, tasked with conducting all of the physical examinations at the Isipingo South Africa Police Service yard in Durban KwaZulu Natal, has inspected 3,540 vehicles.

SUCCESS:

During this year he achieved the identification of 48 vehicles where the only ID marks left to check were microdots. The combined value of these vehicles is 552,154 US dollars.

He also successfully identified 92 vehicles using only their “component markings” and the combined value of these vehicles was 941,385 US dollars.

What does Officer Thysse credit as his ability to achieve such amazing results? 1. He treats each vehicle as a live crime scene. 2. He protects the information that is connected to this examination. 3. He then follows the investigation process taught to him during his training. 4. The cornerstone to his success is knowing where and how to read the ID marks that have been placed on the vehicle.

Whether these are OEM or aftermarket, these ID marks are the identification clues that are the key to establishing the true ID of a vehicle and his work would not be possible without them.

IAATI also wants to encourage others to engage in the world of components parts marking. While you may never be asked to train the military how to steal a vehicle, using the training IAATI has to offer can lead to the same success Officer Thysse has seen. We encourage you to learn more about OEM (VINs, ID marks, OEM electronic parts marking) and Aftermarket (Etching or Branding Solutions, Electronic Parts Marking RF Tags, Microdots, DNA Fluids, UV Light Markings.)

This year the award was awarded to Stanislaus County Auto Theft Taskforce (STANCATT) for their case called: “Attack of the Clones. “

The Recoveri Tag What’s Yours Component Parts Marking Award was presented by IAATI Director Reg Phillips (Canada) and President J.D. Hough (AZ) to the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Taskforce (STANCATT) August 6, 2018, at the 2018 International Association of Auto Theft Investigators International Training Conference in Pittsburgh, PA

When this auto task force “looked a little deeper”, they demonstrated very effectively how components parks marking are more than just a way to ID a vehicle! By connecting the dots they were able to discover and shut down a criminal enterprise beyond just a stolen vehicle.

SYNOPSIS for “Attack of the Clones”

On August 4, 2017, Central Division Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force (STANCATT) initiated a VIN switch investigation, but what started out as an investigation of a possible cloned vehicle led to much more.

• The recovery of four high-end vehicles valued at over ¼ million dollars
• The seizure of four pistols
• The seizure of 277 pounds of methamphetamine - with a street value over a million dollars
• The claim to the second largest Methamphetamine bust in Stanislaus County history
• And all while checking the ID of a vehicle as an Automotive Theft Taskforce

Recoveri, Tag What’s Yours? is very honored to provide this award to the STANCATT team and would like to congratulate:

• Investigator John French 
• Sgt Lloyd Mackinnon
• Sgt Mayolo Banuelos
• Investigator Matt McCain
• Investigator Kyle Briggs
• Investigator Nolan Thomason
• Investigator Erika Ruano
• Investigator Timothy Fautt
• Detective Dave Wallace

Recoveri, Tag What’s Yours? also wants to encourage others to engage in the world of components parts marking. While in this case it was an OEM VIN label used, there are many labels that can be utilized during an investigation.

OEM - VINs, ID marks, OEM electronic parts marking

Aftermarket - Etching or Branding Solutions, Electronic Parts Marking RF Tags, Microdots, DNA Fluids, UV Light Markings

At your next IAATI training opportunity learn more about these labels and you too can look deeper.

This award is intended to honor any person or unit possessing the qualifications of an active member of IAATI, although membership is not a perquisite, who has in some way distinguished themselves in vehicle theft investigations where VIN labels or micro-dot technology played a significant part of the success of the investigation. 

This year’s winner was United States Customs and Border Protection Sgt. Steve Warriner. Sgt. Warriner is assigned to the Port of Entry in Trout River New York bordering the Canadian Providence of Quebec.

In February 2014, Sgt. Warriner was investigating the contents of a shipping container being shipped by a Numbered Company in Quebec to the Middle East. The container contents which were labeled auto parts appeared to contain more than what was listed on the bill of lading.

A check of the container proved that he was correct. The contained did contain assorted auto parts, but also included a front clip from a BMW (VIN removed) and several “A” Pillars with the Federal Safety Certification Label scratched off. The “A” Pillars were cut and were out from the cars and were worthless (only for junk).

The investigation pointed to the numbered company in Canada and it appeared the owner of the shipping company was a known suspect of vehicle theft. A few weeks later, two more containers were sent out by this company (via rail) destined for the UAE. Sgt. Warriner immediately set up a VACIS (Vehicle And Cargo Inspection System) (X-Ray Imaging) exam of the containers, which revealed that there were at least 6 – 7 vehicles in the containers which were again labeled as auto parts with a combined listed value of $ 67,000.00. The containers were held, the “meat and potatoes” of the investigation. Sgt. Warriner, along with members from other various law enforcement agencies off-loaded all the contents of the containers: a multitude of; fenders, doors, hoods, quarter panels, glass, sunroofs, airbags, headlight assemblies, and other miscellaneous parts).

An examination of all the parts found that several anti-theft labels had been removed in an attempt to hide the identity of the parts. The parts were all photographed and categorized. 7 front clips in the containers all had the VINs removed, in an attempt to hide their identity. Anti-theft glass etching was found on several parts, which lead to the true identity of the vehicles. After all was said and done, and the parts were identified as stolen, 7 vehicles were recovered, along with several parts from 6 other stolen vehicles – all were stolen from the Greater Montreal, Quebec area. Total combined amount was over $ 300,000.00. But the case did not end there. 6months later, the bad guys were at it again, and attempted to ship (via rail) another container which was also found by Sgt. Warriner to contain another 4 stolen vehicles.

The same process was conducted, parts were off loaded, photographed and categorized. Vehicles again stolen from the Greater Montreal Quebec area, with a combined total of over $ 175,000.00 were recovered.

Congratulations to Sgt. Warriner on a job well done.

left to right: Jim Holmes, Steve Simmers, Tucson Police Auto Theft Unit/Taskforce, Shane Sholl, Tucson Police Auto Theft Unit/Taskforce and Rick Sandt, Avery Dennison