RENO, Nev. - Car thefts are getting to be enough of a problem in northern Nevada that Reno police are joining forces with state and federal investigators to better attack vehicle thieves.
''It is going to help because if people steal cars in Reno they don't stay in Reno,'' Reno police Detective Glenn Withnell said. ''And when we have a real crook, we need more manpower than just the two detectives in Reno to follow him and catch him doing it.''
As part of the agreement, Reno police will dedicate a full-time detective to the task force.
Washoe County Sheriffs Office and Sparks Police officials said they don't have the staff to donate a full-time detective, but their car-theft investigators work closely with the unit to share information.
''The thing that is really nice about this task force is they focus on regional trends,'' Sparks police Lt. Ken Lightfoot told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
''We go out and work individual cases, and sometimes we don't have enough volume. So were just not exposed to these trends.''
The 1997 Legislature authorized money for the creation of such a task force, which was formed in Las Vegas. Because of success in the southern half of the state, the Nevada Division of Investigation decided to form one in northern Nevada.
In November, the task force helped uncover a chop shop working out of Doyle, Calif., about 40 miles north of Reno. More than 100 cars had been dismantled and sold for parts from there.