Truck tailgate thefts on the rise in Arizona
Jun 18, 2013, 5:00 AM | Updated: 10:23 am
Truck owners beware: it appears the number of tailgate thefts is on the rise.
“If I lived in Arizona or Texas, I would invest in an aftermarket lock,” said Frank Scafidi of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Texas policeman Eric J. Starnes told Dallas media that tailgates are easy to steal and sell on the black market.
According to a report released by the NICB earlier this year, Arizona ranks No. 3 on its list for tailgate thefts, behind Texas and California.
The statistics are compiled from insurance claims submitted from Jan. 1, 2006, through Sept. 30, 2012.
Texas topped the list as the loss state with the most tailgate theft claims — 451, or 34 percent of the total. California was No. 2 with 272 claims, followed by Arizona with 125. Florida was fourth with 86 thefts, and Nevada rounds out the top five with 36.
