The DAFT process increases the number and dollar value of vehicles recovered, reduces the number of auto thefts and increases the return on auto theft investigation expenditures. For example, the Miami-Dade Multi-Agency Auto Theft Task Force documented the following results from their first few sweeps:
- 1999
- 122 vehicles recovered. Cumulative recovery value $1,704,610.
- 2000
- 94 vehicles recovered. Cumulative recovery value $1,770,700.
- 2001
- 100 vehicles recovered. Cumulative recovery value $2,082,800.
41 insurance frauds were detected through the review of title issuances. Twenty-eight of the 41 were detected before claims were satisfied, saving insurance companies $1,129,500.
- 2002
- 81 vehicles recovered. Cumulative recovery value $2,154,600.
Miami-Dade auto theft rate has dropped by more than 50 percent since the introduction of this process.
From its high in 1996 with 43,000 reported thefts, to a ten-year low in 2002 with 21,000 reported thefts, Miami-Dade County has seen a commensurate reduction in its national ranking from number 1 to number 6.
The DAFT project standardizes and provides a best practice process for collecting and analyzing data and suggests approaches to the sweep and case preparation. Local and state auto theft investigators use the DAFT process to maximize the effectiveness of auto theft investigations via use of data from various sources.