[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 71 (Monday, April 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18148-18150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-9534]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs
[OJP(BJA) No. 1110]
RIN No. 1121-ZA57


Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act Program

AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 
Justice.

ACTION: Request for proposals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is soliciting grant 
applications from State governments interested in participating in the 
national voluntary motor vehicle theft prevention program, Watch Your 
Car, as authorized under the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act of 1994 
(MVTPA).

DATES: All applications must be returned with a postmark no later than 
May 30, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All proposals must be mailed or sent to: Director; Bureau of

[[Page 18149]]

Justice Assistance; Attention: Watch Your Car Program Office; Bureau of 
Justice Assistance; U.S. Department of Justice; Room 1086D, 633 Indiana 
Avenue, NW., Washington, D.C. 20531.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Bureau of Justice Assistance has 
already mailed program guides and application kits to each State. The 
State's automobile theft prevention authority is designated as the 
recipient. For those States without an authority, the state agency that 
administers the Byrne Formula Grant Program is the recipient. Copies of 
the fact sheet describing the Program are available by calling the U.S. 
Department of Justice Response Center at 1-800-421-6770. The 
metropolitan Washington, D.C., area number is 202-307-1480. Interested 
parties with Internet browsers and installed Adobe Acrobat software may 
download and print a copy of this announcement by accessing BJA's 
National Auto Theft Prevention Program home page at ``http://
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/html/wyc.htm'. Adobe Acrobat software, an on-line 
fact sheet on the Watch Your Car Program, samples of the decals, the 
recipient of the program guide and application kit for each State, and 
other graphical images and statistics pertaining to auto theft are also 
available at this site.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

    Section 220001 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act 
of 1994, Pub. L. No. 103-322, 108 Stat. 2074, codified at 42 U.S.C. 
14171, contains the Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Act (MVTPA). The 
MVTPA requires the Attorney General to establish a national voluntary 
motor vehicle theft prevention program. A proposed rule was published 
in the Federal Register on October 24, 1995. The final rule was 
subsequently published on August 6, 1996. This announcement is to 
advise States of the availability of grant funds appropriated under the 
authority of Public Law 104-208, the Omnibus Consolidated 
Appropriations Act of 1997, and to initiate the Watch Your Car Program 
as authorized under the final rule implementing the Motor Vehicle Theft 
Prevention Act.

Grant Offering

    BJA will be offering start-up grants for States that have no 
statewide motor vehicle theft prevention decal program in place, and 
conversion grants for those States with existing statewide programs 
that wish to make the transition to the Watch Your Car Program. Start-
up grants will be awarded in an amount up to $150,000, while conversion 
grants will be funded up to $25,000. An eligible applicant for start-up 
grants is deemed to be either a State that currently has no statewide 
theft prevention decal program, or a State with an existing program 
that is available to less than 50 percent of the State's residents. BJA 
encourages innovative approaches to implementing comprehensive, unique 
anti-car-theft initiatives and will evaluate applications on the size 
and scope of the proposed project and how it can work in concert with 
other theft prevention measures. Other factors for consideration 
include the amount of public and private resources leveraged in the 
proposal.

Eligibility for Watch Your Car Funding

    A State may apply on behalf of itself and/or its respective 
counties and municipalities. The application shall be submitted by the 
chief executive of the applicant State agency and in accordance with 
established BJA application guidelines. Any State that received funding 
under the MVTPA Program during fiscal year 1996 is ineligible for 
funding during fiscal year 1997.

Background

    The purpose of the Watch Your Car program is to focus the attention 
of law enforcement on vehicles that are not routinely operated during 
the early morning hours or near international land borders or ports. 
The program enables proactive investigation of auto theft before a 
stolen vehicle report is filed.
    Under this program, a motor vehicle owner must sign a consent form 
and obtain decals authorizing law enforcement officers to stop the 
motor vehicle if it is being driven under certain specified conditions, 
and take reasonable steps to determine whether the vehicle is being 
operated with the owner's consent. There are two conditions. Under the 
first condition, the owner may consent to have the car stopped if it is 
operated between the hours of 1:00 am and 5:00 am. Under the second 
condition, the owner may consent to have the car stopped if it crosses 
or is about to cross a United States land border or if it enters a 
port.
    States elect to participate in the program solely at their option.
    BJA is aware of similar types of theft prevention programs already 
in existence. The most common program is Combat Auto Theft (CAT), which 
is used on a statewide basis and by individual local jurisdictions in 
Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, 
Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Illinois has the Beat Auto Theft (BAT) 
Program; Texas originated the Help End Auto Theft (HEAT) Program; and 
Maryland has the Stop Thief Owner Protected (STOP) Program.
    Programs such as BAT, CAT, HEAT, and STOP function on a statewide 
basis to insure a level of uniformity among participating 
municipalities and counties. These programs have worked successfully in 
their States of origin since police throughout the State could easily 
recognize their own decal. But if a thief drove a stolen vehicle across 
state lines, the police in the adjoining jurisdiction may not recognize 
the decal or if they did recognize it, lacked the authorization to stop 
the vehicle and check the identity of the driver. The dissimilarity of 
statewide programs has been further complicated by the proliferation of 
local anti-car theft programs in States with no statewide program. 
Numerous municipalities and counties have adopted a variety of programs 
utilizing differing emblems, icons, and symbols.
    The main advantage of the national Watch Your Car Program is its 
use of a decal that will eventually become an recognizable icon by 
police nationwide. It features the capability of intra/interstate 
enforcement through the checking of vehicles with differing county and/
or out-of-state license plates.
    BJA's specifications call for the manufacture of tamper-resistant 
decals made from retro reflective sheeting to make them easily 
discernible at night. The windshield decal(s) are to be applied on the 
outside of the glass directly above the inside rear-view mirror. The 
rear window decal is affixed on the exterior face along the lower left 
side.
    The MVTPA Program compels a thief to remove tamper-resistant decals 
while alongside the vehicle, acting suspiciously and drawing attention 
to himself/herself. These impediments, in addition to other theft 
prevention devices such as steering wheel locks, increase the number of 
hurdles a thief must overcome and raises the level of theft deterrence.
    The MVTPA requires, as a condition of participation, that each 
State agree to take reasonable steps to ensure that law enforcement 
officials throughout its jurisdiction are familiar with the program, 
and with the conditions under which motor vehicles may be stopped.
    This program is a Federal program that operates separately from any 
existing State or local motor vehicle

[[Page 18150]]

theft prevention program. It is not intended to preempt existing State 
or local laws or programs.

Application Requirements

Implementation Grants

Problem Statement
    States wishing to apply shall provide an assessment of the auto 
theft problem in their jurisdiction and what efforts have been 
undertaken to address it. Applicants should contrast the severity of 
their auto theft problem to other States and discern the patterns and 
trends of auto theft. States should also identify what steps have been 
taken to decrease auto theft. For instance, does the State have an 
automobile theft prevention authority and what types of initiatives 
does it support to combat auto theft.
Goals and Objectives
    The applicant must provide goals, objectives, and methods of 
implementation for the project that are consistent with the program 
announcement. Objectives should be clear, measurable, attainable, and 
focused on the methods used to conduct the project. Favorable 
consideration will be given to those applicants who merge their auto 
theft enforcement efforts and their prevention initiatives into a 
coherent strategy and establish goals and objectives based upon the 
anticipated collective outcome of both approaches.
Project Strategy or Design
    The project strategy or design should describe the Watch Your Car 
program the State wishes to implement including its size and scope; 
outreach efforts to educate the public; statewide training programs to 
inform municipal, county and state law enforcement officers of the 
program; a description of the database if the State wishes to maintain 
a centralized computer registry; the production and dissemination of 
universal consent forms authorizing traffic stops by any local, State, 
or Federal law enforcement officer pursuant to the stipulated program 
condition(s); and efforts to be undertaken to enlist both public and 
private organizations such as auto dealers, auto insurance companies, 
and other major retail businesses willing to host registration programs 
and encourage employee participation.
    For those applicants who currently have an existing statewide 
program that is available to less than 50 percent of the State's 
residents, document the municipalities and counties where the program 
is currently available and demonstrate that the remaining 
municipalities and counties serve as the domicile for 50 percent or 
more of the State's total residents.
Implementation Plan
    Applicant should provide an implementation plan for the program 
outlined above. It should include a schedule to include milestones for 
significant tasks in a chart form.
Additional Resource Commitments
    Applicants are encouraged to leverage other resources--State, 
local, or private--in support of this project.
Project Management Structure
    The applicant should describe how the project will be structured, 
organized, and managed. It should identify and describe the 
qualifications and experience of the project director and project 
staff, how they will be selected, and their roles and responsibilities.
Organizational Capability
    The applicant should describe the organizational experience, both 
programmatic and financial, that qualifies it to manage the project.
Program Evaluation
    The program evaluation should indicate how the applicant will 
assess the success of project implementation and the extent to which 
the strategy achieved the project's goals and objectives.
Conversion Grants
    Applicants applying for conversion grants should address the 
criteria cited in paragraphs: Project Strategy or Design; 
Implementation Plan; Project Management Structure; and Program 
Evaluation. Applicants should also submit the latest copy of their 
annual report in addition to completing the other required forms in the 
application kit.

    Dated: April 9, 1997.
Nancy E. Gist,
Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance.
[FR Doc. 97-9534 Filed 4-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-18-P