MARIETTA – Marietta Police hosted an auto-theft conference this week that brought more than 100 police officers and insurance investigators to the city.

Marietta Police Sgt. Rick Redd coordinated the event, which will wrap up today at the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center.

“That’s the whole goal of the organization: to train law enforcement and insurance investigators,” said Redd, a 25-year veteran of the Marietta force.

Officers and agents learned about the newest factors in car thefts and ways to track stolen vehicles. For one, classic vehicles are new targets due to scrap-metal value.

“Older vehicles are being stolen for scrap metal, being shredded and destroyed and we’re trying to tackle that problem,” Redd said.

On Tuesday, a group from Kentucky that specializes in anti-theft Corvettes showed off their vehicles, and on Wednesday, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office flew in a helicopter with Lo/Jack tracking equipment, which can help find Lo/Jack-equipped vehicles that are stolen.

“The helicopter (identifies stolen vehicles) from the air, and tracks stolen vehicles,” Redd said.

Bill Burruss, a law-enforcement liaison for Lo/Jack, said Fayette County has had the helicopter equipment for about four years.