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Show USE JIUTO LiS, POLICE CHIEF SAYS j Officer Suggests Method of j Preventing Misappropriation Misappropria-tion of Vehicles. a man has $300U or more and ether valuables, he locks them up to protect against theft, hut he buys an autoin'pbilo and leaves it along the street without protection, according accord-ing to Chief of Police Grant, discussing discuss-ing the epidemic of auto thefts of late. "Jusl what the psychology of it is 1 do not know,' continued the chief, ''luit back of these thefts seems to be :i love for mischief, for adventure and for joy riding on the part of young chaps about Salt Lake who have a penchant for appropriating cars left standing about the streets." Chief Grant says he has been studying study-ing the problem of how to break up fhis misappropriation of contraband i pleasure. He and Inspector of Police Carlson had their heads together yesterday yes-terday on the subject. They are trying try-ing to work out a system of ''prevention ''preven-tion rather than of punishment," as Lae chief puts it. The latter, as well as the inspector. I are satisfied that the thefts are. by young boys out for a lark, and not realizing the gravity of their offense against the statutes," for it is a felony, :iml a boy convicted on such a charge may be sent to a penal institution for a term of years. The chief justifies his .statement that the thieves are boys by the fact that the stolen cars, for the most part, are used until the gas gives out and then are abandoned by the jov riders. The police find them and they are finally turned back to the owners, who, when they find out the thieves are boys, refuse to prosecute. For this reason, and the humane reason that appeals to the chief, he is disinclined to make arrests. However, there are those who are inclined to the belief that if some of these young offenders were arrested and made an example of the annoying practice of appropriating autos belonging be-longing to others and using, and in not a few instances ruining them, would be minimized, if not stopped entirely. en-tirely. The solution of the problem, and at the same time to accomplish a humane end, - according to Chief Grant, is for the owners of the cars to have their machines equipped with locks for protecting pro-tecting against loss. |