Get something stolen in Manteca and there’s about a 40 percent chance it will be recovered.
Manteca theft losses hit $4,737,636 in 2017 based on values tracked by the Manteca Police Department. It was the fourth highest year on record for theft losses — the numbers aren’t adjusted for inflation — in Manteca. Theft includes auto theft, ID theft, auto burglaries, commercial burglaries and residential burglaries. It was the fourth highest year on record with $5,890,608 in losses in 2011 topping the list.
Losses were up 2.41 percent from 2016 when thieves stole items valued collectively at $4,626,006.
The big dollar item is the theft of vehicles— there were 332 stolen in 2017 in Manteca — account for the largest chunk. Most tend to be older model vehicles where the manufacturers made little changes in year-to-year production that thieves prefer and have a value typically under $5,000.
During the past six years property losses due to theft have ranged from $4.2 million to $4.8 million a year while the recovery rate in terms of value has been between a low of 33.29 percent in 2012 to a high of 44.71 percent in 2016.
Police repeatedly advise people to mark property that has a high potential for theft, record serial numbers or use their smartphones to take photos. Besides helping identify items that are stolen so they can be returned, photos in particularly help with losses in fires when insurance claims are made.
Meanwhile arrests of suspects — of which the bulk tend to be for theft — were the third lowest since 2009. There 2,197 arrests made by Manteca Police last year, up from 2,082 in 2016, and 2,117 in 2015. There were 3,189 arrests in 2009.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com