C.A.T. - Combat Auto Theft
 C.A.T. is a statewide
program designed to fight the problem of vehicle theft and is offered free
to the public. This voluntary automobile decal registration program
authorizes law enforcement officers to make investigative stops of
registered vehicles. The program benefits are multifold: deterring vehicle
theft, aiding in the recovery of stolen/abandoned vehicles, and aiding in
the identification of stolen/abandoned vehicles.
The "Combat Auto Theft Decal Program" is designed to assist law enforcement
by identifying vehicles that are not usually driven during the early morning
hours. When registering a vehicle, the owner must sign a consent form that
certifies the auto is not ordinarily operated between the hours of 1:00 a.m.
and 5:00 a.m. This affirmation provides law enforcement with reasonable
suspicion that any person found operating a participating vehicle during
these hours is in possession of the vehicle without the owner's consent,
thus justifying a stop of the vehicle. In fact, it is during these morning
hours that many stolen vehicles are on the road.
Vehicle owners may register their vehicles at the Polk County Sheriff's
Office, Northeast District Command
Center, 863-297-1100, Southwest District Command Center, 863-499-2400,
Northwest District Command Center, 863-577-1600, Southeast District Command
Center, 864-534-6291, at the Lakeland Branch of AAA Auto Club South or by
contacting Crime Prevention Section at
863-534-6677 . Upon
registration, a decal will be affixed to the inside lower left rear window
or lower left front window (only in cases where the vehicle has no rear
window). The decal identifies registration and contains an assigned serial
number, which can be cross-referenced with a registration log maintained at
the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
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