Which of the following incidents would be coded as Theft from a Motor Vehicle in UCR data?

• A. Gas can stolen from back of a truck bed
• B. Burglary of a dwelling
• C. Bank robbery
• D. Robbery in a parking lot

Answer: (A)

In UCR data, Theft from a Motor Vehicle means taking property from inside a motor vehicle or from the vehicle’s immediate area, not stealing the vehicle itself. The gas can being stolen from the back of a truck bed fits this definition because the item was taken from the vehicle’s vicinity (the truck), rather than from a structure or from the vehicle being stolen.

The other scenarios involve crimes that aren’t Theft from a Motor Vehicle: burglary of a dwelling is breaking into a home, bank robbery involves force or threat at a bank, and a robbery in a parking lot is a robbery situation. None of these describe taking property from inside or from the immediate area of a motor vehicle, so they are categorized differently.