Members of the Auto Unit are experts in the field of vehicle identification, document fraud and the investigation of organized criminal groups involved in such activity. Auto Unit members conduct Regulatory Inspections of auto body repair facilities, new and used car dealerships and junkyards throughout the state and are involved in numerous professional organizations, such as the Vehicle Theft Investigators Association of New Jersey and the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators. Unit members lecture at various police academies throughout the state to educate local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers in the latest auto theft and document fraud methods and current detection techniques. Members are often called upon to provide technical information to auto theft detectives in the field and other agencies requesting assistance with vehicle theft investigations. Detectives are assigned to squads with the following functions:


Auto Theft and Identification Squad:

Detectives assigned to this squad investigate organized criminal groups responsible for the theft of trucks, construction equipment, marine vessels and private automobiles for profit. Squad members are considered experts in the field of vehicle identification and the detection of vehicles with altered identification numbers. They must be skilled in the use of heat or acid restoration to expose obliterated vehicle identification numbers. Unit detectives target "chop shop" operations where stolen vehicles are disassembled for parts or altered/disguised for resale. Detectives also pursue organized insurance fraud conspiracies, whereby vehicle owners defraud their insurance carriers by fraudulently reporting their vehicles stolen to collect total loss theft claims. Members are often called upon to provide assistance to federal, state and local agencies in all vehicle theft investigations, and liaison with international, national, and state auto theft members involved in complex investigations.

Document Fraud Squad:

Detectives assigned to this squad work closely with New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission investigators to identify and arrest individuals who attempt to conduct illegal activity at Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) agencies. Squad members are considered experts in the field of document authentication and the detection of counterfeit documents. One of their primary goals is to ensure the integrity of MVC issued identification documents with an emphasis on organized driver's license brokerage rings. These rings employ a variety of illegal measures, including bribing MVC employees, to obtain authentic New Jersey driver's licenses for individuals not legally entitled to receive them. Many customers of the brokerage rings obtain licenses in fictitious identities, which in turn can foster other criminal activity, such as terrorism and identity theft.