1 Interactions through Dec. 2011.

In August, someone stole several sets of keys from a used car lot in Louisiana and made off with five cars. However one of the stolen vehicles was a Chevrolet equipped with OnStar. After a police report was filed, the local law enforcement worked with OnStar to find the Chevy through OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance,* which pinpointed its location using GPS technology. OnStar located the Chevy in a grassy field where they also discovered the other stolen vehicles.

Working with law enforcement

OnStar has worked with law enforcement since the late 1990s, helping locate more than 57,000 stolen vehicles equipped with OnStar. It’s a relationship that continues to this day, according to George Baker, manager of Public Safety Outreach for OnStar. “We work together to figure out what improvements are needed to help deter vehicle theft while enhancing the safety of our subscribers,” Baker says.

OnStar Stolen Vehicle Assistance was developed when OnStar partnered with local law enforcement agencies to find out about their needs and concerns when it came to recovering stolen vehicles.

Stolen Vehicle Slowdown* and Remote Ignition Block* — service enhancements to Stolen Vehicle Assistance — were developed in much the same way.

Baker recalls that law enforcement agencies requested that OnStar develop a technological solution to prevent or reduce high-speed pursuits and the injuries and deaths that can result from them. “More than 95% of our subscribers surveyed said they’d want OnStar to disable their vehicle if it were stolen,” he says.

Slowing down stolen vehicles

In 2007–2008, OnStar conducted a series of three clinics involving local, U.S. and Canadian law enforcement and dispatch officials to develop the protocols that support Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, according to Baker.

“In 2008 we conducted a major outreach tour to some 27 cities in the U.S. and Canada to demonstrate to law enforcement and dispatch agencies the new Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service,” he says. “Since the launch of Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, we’ve slowed down at least 90 stolen vehicles, arguably preventing that many high-speed chases.”

OnStar repeated the same development process again the following year. “In 2009 we held another clinic to develop and confirm the procedures we’d use for Remote Ignition Block,” Baker says. “We’ve successfully blocked the ignition of over 3,000 stolen vehicles since Remote Ignition Block was launched in mid-2009, theoretically preventing extended use by a thief of these vehicles even if they’ve stolen the key.”

OnStar and law enforcement continue working together in their efforts to stop car thieves in their tracks while keeping the public safe. “It’s always rewarding when you have the private sector and the law enforcement community work hand-in-hand,” says Baker.

* Service varies by model and conditions.

It all starts early in the process when the vehicle is first being designed. According to Scott Otterson, engineering group manager for Vehicle Data Services, OnStar works with the GM vehicle engineering team to build specific signals into the vehicle communication networks. For example, built-in sensors in vehicles equipped with Automatic Crash Response can automatically send an alert to OnStar with critical crash details, and an OnStar Advisor is immediately connected into the vehicle even if there is no response from the driver or passengers.

“Our big difference is a very comprehensive level of integration
with the vehicle electrical system that really isn’t matched yet
by the other telematics companies.”

Otterson says that every vehicle is essentially a rolling computer network, with 20 to 30 connected modules that use data signals for a wide variety of unrelated details and functions — from wheel slip and antilock brake activity to button presses by the driver and indicator lights — all simultaneously and in a fraction of a second.

Carrying all this data from module to module is an industry-standard data transport system used by all automakers that is known as a “controller area network” (CAN) bus. Different bits of data may travel on CAN buses at one of two different speeds, depending upon the urgency. The most time-critical data — such as information about wheel slip that requires immediate action by the antilock brakes or traction control system — is carried on a high-speed CAN bus. Less urgent data — like those that turn on or off an indicator light when the driver pushes a button on the dashboard — are carried on a low-speed CAN bus.

It all begins at the beginning

Otterson says OnStar engineers are on the scene when each of the computer modules is developed and hooked to the CAN bus. This happens in the beginning of the vehicle design process, which can be as much as two to three years before its public debut.

Because of this tight working relationship, OnStar was able to introduce Turn-by-Turn Navigation maneuver prompts with enhanced graphics in Driver Information Centers and Head-Up Displays in select 2010 model-year vehicles equipped with them, Otterson says. The same goes for the introduction of OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service in select 2009 model-year vehicles.

“At OnStar,” Otterson says, “our big difference is a very comprehensive level of integration with the vehicle electrical system that really isn’t matched yet by the other telematics companies. This is what allows OnStar to maintain its lead in offering innovative products and services.”

And speaking of innovative products and services, the OnStar FMV mirror provides owners of many non-GM vehicles with access to core OnStar services such as Automatic Crash Response, Roadside Assistance and Stolen Vehicle Assistance. Learn more about the FMV mirror.

Even with the safety and security of OnStar, there are still precautions you can — and should — take every day to help keep your vehicle safe. Officer Daryl Slowinski is a 27-year veteran of the Farmington Hills, Mich., Police Department and he’s worked undercover with the Oakland County Auto Theft Unit. He shares six simple but effective ways to help prevent car theft:

1. Never, ever leave your keys in the car, even if it’s just for a minute, even if your car is in your driveway or garage.
2. If you have an attached garage and you are inside the house or out in the backyard, make sure you garage door is closed, or the service door leading into your living area is locked. Most people leave their keys on a hook right inside the door, making it too easy for a thief.
3. Invest in an alarm system for your vehicle. Anything that acts as a deterrent — whether it slows a thief down or makes a lot of noise — helps. Passersby may not pay attention to a car alarm that’s going off, but the fact that a car is still there making noise and/or flashing lights — and not long gone — shows it’s working as a deterrent.
4. Always park in well-lit area where there are people around, and never leave valuables in plain view.
5. When you park your car, turn the wheels toward the curb or the edge of the driveway to make it harder to tow it from the rear.
6. Never leave your unattended car running, even with the doors locked, no matter whether you’re warming it up in the driveway or making a quick stop at the store. It only takes a second to smash a window and drive away.

What do you do to help stop a car thief from stealing your car? Let us know in the comments below.