Is that car stolen? See instantly at Web site

A system unveiled Thursday will allow you — or anyone else with access to the Web by computer or Internet-accessible cell phone, to instantly check. And that, said Attorney General Terry Goddard, will create extra "eyes on the street" for law enforcement.

But David Felix, deputy director of the state Department of Public Safety, cautioned would-be detectives to leave the real police work to the professionals.

"We don't need folks to try to confront individuals where they've found a vehicle that may be stolen," he said. "They need to contact the local authorities and have them come and respond to that."

The Web site is a response to the fact that Arizona in 2004 had the third-highest rate of car and truck theft in the nation. There were 55,308 vehicles stolen — or nearly one every 10 minutes. Information on the site will be updated twice daily.

This site also can be used by Mexican agencies to get an immediate answer about whether a vehicle is stolen, since it's assumed that many of the stolen vehicles that aren't recovered wind up there. Mexican police say they have trouble getting prompt responses from local police departments on whether a vehicle is stolen, said Enrique Cantu, director of the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority.

The Web site — www. theftaz.azag.gov — can be checked two ways: by license plate or by vehicle identification number. Goddard said the VIN can be helpful to someone who is considering buying a vehicle and wants to find out if it has been stolen.

What comes back is either a response that there is no theft report or that it has been listed as stolen, along with the name and phone number of the reporting agency.

"We won't tell you who the owner is; we won't tell you any other information," Goddard said. "We specifically are not providing access to the general criminal database."

To check on whether a vehicle is stolen, go to www.theftaz.azag.gov and type in the license plate number or vehicle identification number.