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Newport News Police Department
OPERATIONAL MANUAL
OPS-470 – STOLEN/UNAUTHORIZED USE OF VEHICLES
Amends/Supersedes: OPS-470 (11/14/2018) Date of Issue: 04/22/2024
I. GENERAL
A. Police Department employees will take a report on any incident fitting the criteria for stolen vehicles or
unauthorized use of a vehicle, as outlined in this policy.
B. All stolen vehicles recovered in the City of Newport News by the Newport News Police Department will
be processed by patrol officers, except for stolen vehicles involved in major felony cases (e.g., homicide,
rape, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, or hit-and-run). The Forensic Services Unit will process vehicles
involved in these types of crimes.
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Grand larceny of a vehicle is defined as the vehicle being taken with the intent to permanently deprive
the owner of their vehicle.
B. Unauthorized use of a vehicle is defined as:
1. Any person who takes, drives or uses any motor vehicle, not their own, without the owner's consent,
in the owner's absence, and with the intent temporarily to deprive the owner of their possession,
without intent to steal the same (§18.2-102 of the Code of Virginia).
2. The vehicle is not returned by the person taking the vehicle within the timeframe specified by the
vehicle’s owner.
III. PROCEDURE
A. Grand Larceny of a Vehicle
1. When taking an Incident Report in RMS for a stolen vehicle, the department employee should obtain
as much information as possible. If the person who took the vehicle is known to the complainant, that
person should be listed as a suspect, and the narrative should indicate whether the complainant
intends to prosecute if the suspect is arrested.
2. The department employee taking the report will notify their precinct Records Technician so that the
vehicle information can be entered into NCIC/VCIN, or the VCIN Unit after duty hours and on
weekends. [82.2.3]
3. An Incident Report will still be obtained if the reporting person does not have enough information
for the stolen vehicle to be entered into NCIC/VCIN. The report shall contain as much information as
is known.
4. Stolen vehicles recovered in the City of Newport News by a Newport News police officer will be
processed for latent prints and other evidence by the recovering officer. [83.2.1]
NOTE: An agreement between Hampton Roads area police departments requires the recovering
officer to process the vehicle for latent fingerprints touch DNA and any other evidence
unless requested otherwise by the law enforcement agency where the offense occurred.
[83.2.3]
a. Chain of custody of all evidence and fingerprints recovered must be maintained at all times.
b. If the vehicle cannot be processed at the scene, it may be towed for processing as outlined in OPS-
340 Towing, Inventory & Impoundment of Vehicles. Care must be taken to prevent the destruction
of any latent fingerprint evidence.
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