Texas Communities to Use $12M in Grants to Combat Vehicle Crimes

Insurance Journal, July 9, 2020

Texas suffers from more than $1 billion in losses from motor vehicle crime each year, according to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority (MVCPA), a division of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.

To help Texans fight back, MVCPA’s board of directors voted to award nearly $12 million in grants to communities across the state. The grants support local law enforcement efforts to combat vehicle-related crimes.

  • City of Austin: $414,319
  • City of Beaumont: $508,623
  • City of Brownsville: $889,225
  • Burnet County: $192,400
  • City of Corpus Christi: $395,356
  • City of Dallas: $601,250
  • Dallas County: $519,480
  • City of Eagle Pass: $120,250
  • City of El Paso: $894,145
  • Galveston County: $451,354
  • Harris County: $743,052
  • City of Houston: $957,190
  • City of Laredo: $658,970
  • Lubbock County: $389,151
  • City of Mansfield: $288,600
  • Montgomery County: $324,640
  • City of Paris: $102,654
  • City of Pasadena: $73,112
  • Potter County: $347,960
  • City of San Antonio: $769,600
  • Smith County: $320,146
  • Tarrant County: $1,101,971
  • Travis County: $607,154
  • City of Victoria: $148,840
  • Total: $11,819,442

These agencies collaborate regionally and with each other to establish evidence based, strategy driven and community focused solutions networks. They improve coordination, deploy equipment and provide clear messaging to community groups to end motor vehicle crime across Texas.

The taskforces recovered more than 11,000 vehicles in fiscal year 2019, made thousands of arrests and distributed materials and messages to their communities to help remind people to lock their cars. Based on state data, there are nearly 200,000 motor vehicle burglaries and more than 67,000 stolen vehicles every year.

The Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority, a division of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, funds local law enforcement taskforces across the state every year. The funds come from a $4 fee that MVCPA collects from motor vehicle insurance companies. A large part of the fee collected also supports emergency rooms and trauma centers throughout Texas.
The Texas Legislature established MVCPA in 1991 to create a statewide effort to reduce auto theft. The Authority is comprised of governor-appointed members from insurers, law enforcement and the public along with a designee from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Source: MVCPA