Spokane no longer leads country in car theft

For the first time in five years, Spokane is no longer in the top 10 U.S. cities for vehicle theft, a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau says.

The 2015 Hot Spot Report ranks Spokane 25th in the nation for auto thefts, down from a 6th place rank last year.

The metro area, which includes Spokane and Spokane Valley, had a 21 percent reduction in auto thefts from 2014 to 2015. Last year, 2,430 vehicles were stolen, giving Spokane a rate of 444 thefts per 100,000 residents.

Yakima had the highest vehicle theft rate in the state, with 470 vehicles stolen per 100,000 residents. The Seattle-Tacoma area dropped from 8th place to 20th, with a theft rate of 461 vehicles for every 100,000 inhabitants.

Eight of the top 10 cities in the country are in California, with Modesto topping the list.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau is a nonprofit organization that collects vehicle theft data directly from law enforcement organizations.