Auto Theft Interdiction Project

In 1998, the Austin Police Department's Auto Theft Section received a grant from the Texas Automobile Theft Prevention Authority (ATPA). This grant was established by the Texas 72nd Legislature in June 1991 as part of a statewide effort to reduce vehicle theft. The ATPA program is an innovative approach toward preventing and reducing auto theft related offenses by directing resources at the root causes of auto theft while building a community prevention model. In an effort to advance the goals of the ATPA program, APD created the Auto Theft Interdiction Project (ATIP). State-of-the-art crime analysis, crime prevention techniques and educational strategies provide APD with a proactive auto theft program. The result is a program in which procedures have been streamlined to effectively locate, arrest, investigate and file charges against auto thieves and organized elements in auto theft crime.

In 2007, the 80th Texas Legislature passed HB 1887. Beginning September 1, 2007, the ATPA’s mission expanded to include auto burglary and theft prevention, as well as to provide programs to educate automobile owners on how to prevent auto burglary and theft. Additionally, the bill renamed the ATPA to the Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA).