ANAHEIM : Anaheim Joins Car Anti-Theft Program

Faced with an increasing number of auto thefts in the city, the Anaheim Police Department is preparing to adopt the Combat Auto Theft program.

CAT attempts to track stolen automobiles with decals that owners affix to their cars. The sticker displays a registration number, and the identification tells officers that the car is not normally driven between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., a time when many autos are stolen.

If an officer from any police department sees a car with the decal during those hours, that officer is given permission to stop the vehicle and check the ownership.

Michelle Ganz, an Anaheim police spokeswoman, said the program is geared toward residents of apartments or condominium complexes without garages, and also to seniors who are less likely to be driving during the wee hours.

Ganz noted that auto thefts in the city had risen from 1,669 in 1985 to 2,986 in 1989.

Scheduled to go into effect early next month in Anaheim, CAT already is operating in some other Orange County cities. The program originated in New York in 1986, and has been steadily gaining acceptance across the nation, Ganz said.