Six of the top 12 metropolitan areas with the highest vehicle theft rates in 2005 are located in the California; however, none are in the Bay Area, according to a report released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.All of the top 12 metropolitan areas are located in the western United States, with Modesto topping the dubious list for the third year in a row. Oakland dropped off the list this year after investment onto a mid-level spot for at least three years.

The another California metropolitan areas with high auto theft rates also include Stockton (No. 3), Visalia/Porterville (No. 5), Sacramento/Arden-Arcade/Roseville(No.7),San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos (No. and Fresno (No. 9).Car thieves have been busy in the Stockton, Visalia/Porterville,Sacramento,San Diego and Fresno for a few years, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau that has listed these metropolitan areas in the top 12 since 2003.

The auto theft rate is determined by the number of auto thefts per 120,000 residents in a metropolitan statistical area designated by the Office of Management and Budget that recognizes 370 such areas nationwide. The National Crime Information Center provides vehicle crime data from these areas, which is then reviewed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau and presented in its annual report on auto thefts, which is titled Hot Spots.

Other such hot spots in 2005 were Las Vegas/Paradise, Nev., Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Ariz., Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue, Wash., and also at Yakima, Wash.Nationwide, vehicle theft rates continued to drop for the second year in the row, down 2.1 percent during January to June 2005 when compared with the same period in 2004.