Cartoon drawing of used car lot with words "The Salvage Racket" A speeding 1956 Chevrolet Del Ray Club Coupe. Car after crash with smoke and STOP sign. A smirking man takes down notes as wrecked1956 Chevrolet Del Ray Club Coupe is towed to a junkyard. A policeman opens a file cabinet to retrieve a file and then says, "the car theft racket is one of major problems facing law enforcement today." A car pulls up near a parked 1956 Chevrolet Del Ray Club Coupe. The man in passenger seat gets out of the car. Man using slim jim to break into car and open door. Man in car uses wires to go under dashboard to hot wire car. Stolen car drives away with another following. Garage door opens and cars drive in to garage. Man wearing gangster hat drives up to junkyard and gets out of car. Junkyard owner walks through junkyard with man looking at cars. The man pays the junkyard owner in cash for wrecked 1956 Chevrolet Del Ray Club Coupe. Man uses pocket nice to cut car VIN trim tag off of car. Man opens car hood to get the car’s motor number. Close up of engine stamp pad containing number. The man closes hood and pulls out notebook and writes notes. The junkyard owner walks through piles of tires and gives the man sale paperwork. 1956 Chevrolet Del Ray Club Coupe in garage with hood open. Mechanic grinding off engine number of stolen car. Gangster throws smoking cigarette to ground and then rubs his hands together. Mechanic tears up and throw out identifying papers found in car, attaches replacement trim tag to door, and removes stickers. Mechanic throwing out papers found in car trunk. Gangster puts paperwork into his suit jacket pocket and watches mechanic work on car with arms akimbo. Police officer explains that "the doctored stolen car is now ready for market." Two cars drive on highway pass sign reading, "state line 1/2 mile". Cars parked with gangster standing by to sell stolen car.
FBI agent calls on telephone at police office. FBI agent recites VIN numbers associated with a stolen car. A woman's hands typing on teletype typewriter. Sign reading, “Dept. of Motor Vehicles”. A woman pulls out a document from typewriter. A woman pulls out a folder from file cabinet. FBI agent dials phone and makes a call. View of a copy of the 1956 Manual for the Identification of Automobiles by the National Automobile Theft Bureau. FBI agent comparing notes, meets with a police officer. FBI agent and police officer discuss development of car theft case. FBI agent and policeman questions a woman in an office. FBI agent and policeman visit a junkyard, where they meet the junkyard owner. Junkyard owner shows sales record ledger to FBI agent and police officer. FBI agent flips through sales record pages. Junkyard owner shows car wreckage to police officer and FBI agent. Police officer opens car hood to inspect. Fingers point to motor number in engine. Close up of fingerprint on motor stamp pad. Junkyard owner shows car door post for the car’s serial number. Police car parks in front of a store. Police officer and FBI agent entering shops. FBI agent entering Burnt Mill Barber Shop in Silver Spring Maryland Policeman, at his desk, discusses how this case study follows the right method for investigating car theft, which he describes as “America’s most expensive form of larceny”. Camera pans to FBI agent. FBI agent discusses nature of the car theft suspect in case study. Police cars enter and block a parking lot driveway to inspect a garage. FBI agent in conclusion advises against car theft with “a thorough check of point of sales saves everyone time, trouble and expense”. Closing credit.