HEAT

The mission of Fresno H.E.A.T. is to reduce the incidents of economic auto theft within Fresno County through proactive, sustained, and strategic implementation of known and accepted methods of vehicle theft enforcement and investigation.

The strategic objectives of Fresno H.E.A.T. are as follows:

• Proactively identify, investigate, and arrest persons actively committing vehicle theft related criminal offenses;
• Locate and recover stolen vehicles and vehicle component parts;
• Conduct business inspections pursuant to CVC § 2805;
• Conduct parole and probation searches;
• Disseminate vehicle theft related information to law enforcement;
• Participate in proactive inter-jurisdictional vehicle theft enforcement operations with sister vehicle theft taskforces in Tulare County and Kern County to address inter-jurisdictional vehicle theft related crime patterns and trends affecting the Central Valley;
• Conduct undercover operations when warranted, with the specific intent of investigating vehicle theft related offenses;
• Increase public awareness of vehicle theft related efforts through social media (www.fresnoheat.com / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / facebook.com/pages/Fresno-HEAT/189240737787454 / witter.com/fresnoheat), and public awareness campaigns like "Operation Cold Front."

In order to investigate and combat auto theft in Fresno County, the Sheriff's Office has assigned three detectives to the Help Eliminate Auto Theft (H.E.A.T.) Task Force. These detectives not only handle follow up investigations, they are part of a pro-active team that identifies auto thieves and the locations stolen automobiles are taken.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Fresno County Sheriff's Office (FCSO), the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and the Clovis Police Department (CPD) have teamed up to combat vehicle theft in Fresno County. Personnel currently dedicated to Fresno H.E.A.T. include one (1) CHP Lieutenant Commander, one (1) CHP Sergeant/Supervisor, ten (10) investigators/detectives from the CHP, FCSO, NICB, and CPD. Many allied agencies, programs, and support personnel from the various participating agencies work hard in a variety of different capacities to make it a successful operation.

Fresno H.E.A.T. proactively identifies, investigates, and arrests vehicle thieves. This has been a proven and effective method for success. Vehicle theft, like other crimes, will never be completely extinguished. However, it is law enforcement's responsibility to ensure this illegal and destructive crime is not allowed to flourish in our community.