By The TimesLedger
It takes less than two minutes for a professional car thief to break into a luxury car, disable the alarm and drive off into the night. Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) claims this scenario is happening at least 10 times a week at the College Point Multiplex and the Target store shopping center nearby.
Avella is asking the owners of these two lots to install surveillance equipment that would help police crack down on the car thefts. Such a strategy, he says, is already showing results at the multiplex theater in Bay Terrace.
College Point is pig heaven for those who practice grand larceny auto. Within seconds a car thief can be across the Whitestone Bridge and tucked away in a Bronx chop shop. Better lighting, security cameras and an undercover detail from the NYPD could go a long way to clamping down on this crime.
The state Legislature can also help by amending the law governing grand larceny auto. Under the current law, most car thieves are charged with the lesser charge of unauthorized use because to make a grand larceny charge stick, police have to catch the perp in the act of stealing the car.
