COLUMBUS – A government crime study shows vehicle thefts in Columbus were on the rise during the first half of 2015 and the city ranks third among Ohio’s largest cities for car theft.
Preliminary FBI Uniform Crime Report data for six major Ohio cities for the first half of last year show increases in Columbus, Dayton and Akron, compared to 2014, and declines in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo.
Cleveland is still No. 1 for vehicle theft, with 257 thefts per 100,000 vehicles, according to the Ohio Insurance Institute.
Dayton and Columbus are second and third highest, ranked 110th and 121st in the nation.
Both cities had increases in terms of the number of auto thefts and their theft rates between 2014 and 2015.
There were 4,230 thefts in Columbus in 2015, compared with 3,708 in 2014.
Dayton experienced 1,748 thefts compared to 1,614 the year before.
Toledo and Springfield round out the top five Ohio cities for vehicle theft.