CCSO takes top honor for auto theft prevention efforts

The Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office was recently honored by the Virginia Department of State Police for work related to preventing automobile thefts in the county.

Sheriff Jim Branch and Cpl. Shannon Carter accepted a first-place award for division 2 in the state police program known as HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft)
Division 2 includes Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Madison, Orange, Stafford, Fauquier, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Page, Warren, Clarke, Shenandoah and Frederick Counties.

HEAT is a cooperative effort of the Virginia Department of State Police, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and local law enforcement agencies throughout the Commonwealth.

The Sheriff’s Office has a mobile machine that deputies use to etch an automobile’s VIN number onto its windows. Carter said this technique serves as another blanket of protection for residents against car theft and is a free service offered to residents.

“If a car is stolen and thieves try to get rid of a VIN number on a car that has the number etched on windows, the thieves would also have to replace the windows to get rid of the VIN,” Carter explained.

Carter said Culpeper won first-place based on the number of community events featuring the etching service that the office has sponsored.

Local businesses or community groups interested in hosting the Sheriff’s Office to conduct VIN etching can contact Carter at (540) 727-7520.