These are the various task forces utilized by the District Attorney's office. Click on the task force name for more detailed information.
The Auto Theft Task Force, which was created in 1996, investigates cases in which vehicles are stolen for short-or long-term use and cases involving chop shops where vehicles are dismantled for the sale of their parts. The task force, supervised by Chief Deputy District Attorney David Mussel, also investigates cases involving vehicles that are falsely reported as stolen and vehicles that are stolen and sold for profit.
The task force is funded by a grant from Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority. It is made up of four members. One of its members is a county detective; the other three are members of local police departments, Allentown, Bethlehem, and Whitehall. They are assigned permanently to the Auto Theft Task Force.
Two task force members, Det. Sgt. Salvatore Aprile and Det. Chad Wasserman, have been recipients of the Scott A. Wentz Auto Theft Investigator of the Year Award. The award is given by the Pennsylvania Auto Theft Prevention Authority acknowledging the work done by investigators throughout the state.
Detectives in the award-winning task force participate in community activities through the year to educate the public about auto theft prevention. As part of that effort, the detectives etch Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) on vehicles. VIN etching is the process of chemically etching or "tattooing" a vehicle identification number (VIN) on all the windows and the sunroof of a vehicle. VIN etching is an important law enforcement tool used to deter vehicle thefts. The Task Force offers the service for free. Since the team began the service in 2009, over 1,300 vehicles have been etched.
In 2009, some police departments in Lehigh County started using the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System to track stolen vehicles and to recover them more quickly for their owners. Police use Police Tracking Computers in patrol vehicles to locate stolen vehicles that are equipped with LoJack transmitters. This is another weapon in the arsenal to combat auto theft in Lehigh County.