Despite nationwide drop in car thefts, Central California’s numbers are on rise, lead nation

While car thefts dropped nationwide last year for the seventh consecutive year, California’s crop-abundant Central Valley showed an increase in vehicle thefts, according to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau released Tuesday. Three areas in the Valley — Fresno, Modesto and Bakersfield-Delano — are the top three hotspots for car thefts per capita nationwide, the data show. California, considered the capital of car culture, dominates the 2010 list of hotspots, with 8 of the nation’s top 10 car theft areas.