The Department of the California Highway Patrol shall establish a program entitled “CAL H.E.A.T.” (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) for the purpose of reducing the incidence of economic auto theft in California. The program shall be an anti-auto theft program with a toll-free telephone hotline operator funded by the department using funds distributed to it pursuant to Section 10901. The hotline operator shall channel reports from the public regarding auto thefts to state and local law enforcement agencies. In the annual report, the commissioner shall report on the results of this program, including the number of calls from the public reporting a suspected motor vehicle theft, the number of arrests, complaints filed, convictions, and vehicles recovered, and the amount of property losses saved as a result of the program.
If funded by admitted insurers in this state, the program may offer rewards for reports that lead to the arrest and conviction of a person engaged in economic automobile theft. If so funded, the Department of the California Highway Patrol shall establish a claims board, which shall include appointments from state and local law enforcement agencies and the insurance industry, to determine the amount of individual awards.
(Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1248, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1995.)