Stealing cars : technology & society from the Model T to the Gran Torino / John A. Heitmann & Rebecca H. Morales.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Heitmann, John Alfred.

Contributor:

Morales, Rebecca.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Automobile theft--United States--History.

Automobile theft.

Automobile theft--United States--Prevention.

Automobiles--Technological innovations.

Automobiles.

Automobile thieves--United States.

Automobile thieves.

Grand Theft Auto games--Social aspects.

Grand Theft Auto games.

Automobile theft--Mexican-American Border Region.

Social aspects.

History.

United States.

Physical Description:

ix, 216 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.

Summary:

"As early as 1910 Americans recognized that cars were easy to steal and, once stolen, hard to find. A car was its own getaway vehicle, and cars looked much alike. Model styles and colors eventually changed, and so did the means of making a stolen car disappear. Though changing license plates and serial numbers remain basic procedure, thieves have created highly sophisticated networks to disassemble stolen vehicles, distribute the parts, and/or ship the altered cars out of the country. Stealing cars naturally has become as technologically advanced as the cars themselves"-Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Park at your own risk

"Stop, thief!"

Juvenile delinquents, hardened criminals, and ineffectual technological solutions

From the personal garage to the surveillance society

Car theft in the electronic and digital age

Mexico, the U.S., and international auto theft

The recent past

Conclusion stealing the American dream

Appendix A: Various U.S. automobile theft crime reports and surveys, 1924-2010

Appendix B: Tables.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781421412979

9781421412986

1421412977

1421412985

OCLC:

863196502