[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 71 (Monday, April 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18148-18150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9534]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Justice Programs
[OJP(BJA) No. 1110]
RIN No. 1121-ZA57
Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act Program
AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance,
Justice.
ACTION: Request for proposals.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is soliciting grant
applications from State governments interested in participating in the
national voluntary motor vehicle theft prevention program, Watch Your
Car, as authorized under the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act of 1994
(MVTPA).
DATES: All applications must be returned with a postmark no later than
May 30, 1997.
ADDRESSES: All proposals must be mailed or sent to: Director; Bureau of
[[Page 18149]]
Justice Assistance; Attention: Watch Your Car Program Office; Bureau of
Justice Assistance; U.S. Department of Justice; Room 1086D, 633 Indiana
Avenue, NW., Washington, D.C. 20531.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Bureau of Justice Assistance has
already mailed program guides and application kits to each State. The
State's automobile theft prevention authority is designated as the
recipient. For those States without an authority, the state agency that
administers the Byrne Formula Grant Program is the recipient. Copies of
the fact sheet describing the Program are available by calling the U.S.
Department of Justice Response Center at 1-800-421-6770. The
metropolitan Washington, D.C., area number is 202-307-1480. Interested
parties with Internet browsers and installed Adobe Acrobat software may
download and print a copy of this announcement by accessing BJA's
National Auto Theft Prevention Program home page at ``http://
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/html/wyc.htm'. Adobe Acrobat software, an on-line
fact sheet on the Watch Your Car Program, samples of the decals, the
recipient of the program guide and application kit for each State, and
other graphical images and statistics pertaining to auto theft are also
available at this site.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority
Section 220001 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
of 1994, Pub. L. No. 103-322, 108 Stat. 2074, codified at 42 U.S.C.
14171, contains the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act (MVTPA). The
MVTPA requires the Attorney General to establish a national voluntary
motor vehicle theft prevention program. A proposed rule was published
in the Federal Register on October 24, 1995. The final rule was
subsequently published on August 6, 1996. This announcement is to
advise States of the availability of grant funds appropriated under the
authority of Public Law 104-208, the Omnibus Consolidated
Appropriations Act of 1997, and to initiate the Watch Your Car Program
as authorized under the final rule implementing the Motor Vehicle Theft
Prevention Act.
Grant Offering
BJA will be offering start-up grants for States that have no
statewide motor vehicle theft prevention decal program in place, and
conversion grants for those States with existing statewide programs
that wish to make the transition to the Watch Your Car Program. Start-
up grants will be awarded in an amount up to $150,000, while conversion
grants will be funded up to $25,000. An eligible applicant for start-up
grants is deemed to be either a State that currently has no statewide
theft prevention decal program, or a State with an existing program
that is available to less than 50 percent of the State's residents. BJA
encourages innovative approaches to implementing comprehensive, unique
anti-car-theft initiatives and will evaluate applications on the size
and scope of the proposed project and how it can work in concert with
other theft prevention measures. Other factors for consideration
include the amount of public and private resources leveraged in the
proposal.
Eligibility for Watch Your Car Funding
A State may apply on behalf of itself and/or its respective
counties and municipalities. The application shall be submitted by the
chief executive of the applicant State agency and in accordance with
established BJA application guidelines. Any State that received funding
under the MVTPA Program during fiscal year 1996 is ineligible for
funding during fiscal year 1997.
Background
The purpose of the Watch Your Car program is to focus the attention
of law enforcement on vehicles that are not routinely operated during
the early morning hours or near international land borders or ports.
The program enables proactive investigation of auto theft before a
stolen vehicle report is filed.
Under this program, a motor vehicle owner must sign a consent form
and obtain decals authorizing law enforcement officers to stop the
motor vehicle if it is being driven under certain specified conditions,
and take reasonable steps to determine whether the vehicle is being
operated with the owner's consent. There are two conditions. Under the
first condition, the owner may consent to have the car stopped if it is
operated between the hours of 1:00 am and 5:00 am. Under the second
condition, the owner may consent to have the car stopped if it crosses
or is about to cross a United States land border or if it enters a
port.
States elect to participate in the program solely at their option.
BJA is aware of similar types of theft prevention programs already
in existence. The most common program is Combat Auto Theft (CAT), which
is used on a statewide basis and by individual local jurisdictions in
Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York,
Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Illinois has the Beat Auto Theft (BAT)
Program; Texas originated the Help End Auto Theft (HEAT) Program; and
Maryland has the Stop Thief Owner Protected (STOP) Program.
Programs such as BAT, CAT, HEAT, and STOP function on a statewide
basis to insure a level of uniformity among participating
municipalities and counties. These programs have worked successfully in
their States of origin since police throughout the State could easily
recognize their own decal. But if a thief drove a stolen vehicle across
state lines, the police in the adjoining jurisdiction may not recognize
the decal or if they did recognize it, lacked the authorization to stop
the vehicle and check the identity of the driver. The dissimilarity of
statewide programs has been further complicated by the proliferation of
local anti-car theft programs in States with no statewide program.
Numerous municipalities and counties have adopted a variety of programs
utilizing differing emblems, icons, and symbols.
The main advantage of the national Watch Your Car Program is its
use of a decal that will eventually become an recognizable icon by
police nationwide. It features the capability of intra/interstate
enforcement through the checking of vehicles with differing county and/
or out-of-state license plates.
BJA's specifications call for the manufacture of tamper-resistant
decals made from retro reflective sheeting to make them easily
discernible at night. The windshield decal(s) are to be applied on the
outside of the glass directly above the inside rear-view mirror. The
rear window decal is affixed on the exterior face along the lower left
side.
The MVTPA Program compels a thief to remove tamper-resistant decals
while alongside the vehicle, acting suspiciously and drawing attention
to himself/herself. These impediments, in addition to other theft
prevention devices such as steering wheel locks, increase the number of
hurdles a thief must overcome and raises the level of theft deterrence.
The MVTPA requires, as a condition of participation, that each
State agree to take reasonable steps to ensure that law enforcement
officials throughout its jurisdiction are familiar with the program,
and with the conditions under which motor vehicles may be stopped.
This program is a Federal program that operates separately from any
existing State or local motor vehicle
[[Page 18150]]
theft prevention program. It is not intended to preempt existing State
or local laws or programs.
Application Requirements
Implementation Grants
Problem Statement
States wishing to apply shall provide an assessment of the auto
theft problem in their jurisdiction and what efforts have been
undertaken to address it. Applicants should contrast the severity of
their auto theft problem to other States and discern the patterns and
trends of auto theft. States should also identify what steps have been
taken to decrease auto theft. For instance, does the State have an
automobile theft prevention authority and what types of initiatives
does it support to combat auto theft.
Goals and Objectives
The applicant must provide goals, objectives, and methods of
implementation for the project that are consistent with the program
announcement. Objectives should be clear, measurable, attainable, and
focused on the methods used to conduct the project. Favorable
consideration will be given to those applicants who merge their auto
theft enforcement efforts and their prevention initiatives into a
coherent strategy and establish goals and objectives based upon the
anticipated collective outcome of both approaches.
Project Strategy or Design
The project strategy or design should describe the Watch Your Car
program the State wishes to implement including its size and scope;
outreach efforts to educate the public; statewide training programs to
inform municipal, county and state law enforcement officers of the
program; a description of the database if the State wishes to maintain
a centralized computer registry; the production and dissemination of
universal consent forms authorizing traffic stops by any local, State,
or Federal law enforcement officer pursuant to the stipulated program
condition(s); and efforts to be undertaken to enlist both public and
private organizations such as auto dealers, auto insurance companies,
and other major retail businesses willing to host registration programs
and encourage employee participation.
For those applicants who currently have an existing statewide
program that is available to less than 50 percent of the State's
residents, document the municipalities and counties where the program
is currently available and demonstrate that the remaining
municipalities and counties serve as the domicile for 50 percent or
more of the State's total residents.
Implementation Plan
Applicant should provide an implementation plan for the program
outlined above. It should include a schedule to include milestones for
significant tasks in a chart form.
Additional Resource Commitments
Applicants are encouraged to leverage other resources--State,
local, or private--in support of this project.
Project Management Structure
The applicant should describe how the project will be structured,
organized, and managed. It should identify and describe the
qualifications and experience of the project director and project
staff, how they will be selected, and their roles and responsibilities.
Organizational Capability
The applicant should describe the organizational experience, both
programmatic and financial, that qualifies it to manage the project.
Program Evaluation
The program evaluation should indicate how the applicant will
assess the success of project implementation and the extent to which
the strategy achieved the project's goals and objectives.
Conversion Grants
Applicants applying for conversion grants should address the
criteria cited in paragraphs: Project Strategy or Design;
Implementation Plan; Project Management Structure; and Program
Evaluation. Applicants should also submit the latest copy of their
annual report in addition to completing the other required forms in the
application kit.
Dated: April 9, 1997.
Nancy E. Gist,
Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance.
[FR Doc. 97-9534 Filed 4-11-97; 8:45 am]
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