DAFT begins with a request by a law enforcement organization, often an auto theft unit, for an extract of vehicle and title data from a state's motor vehicle database. The state sends the file to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), which runs the VINs through the NMVTIS theft file and against NICB's insurance salvage, export and theft files. The VINs are also evaluated for discrepancies from the standard format. The requesting law enforcement office receives files containing data from the matches and discrepant VINs in addition to the vehicle, title, and registration data from the state.
Auto theft unit staffs assess the returned files to identify likely targets for recovery. During the assessment, staff may obtain additional data from the state's paper and electronic files and electronically from NMVTIS, which contains current and historical data on vehicle titles and brands. The assessment leads to a sweep list of vehicles targeted for investigation. Investigators cluster the locations for the sweep and hit several sites within a few hours. After the sweep, cases are documented and files are prepared for court.