Houston Area Leads U.S. in Arson Crimes

HOUSTON - It is a not a ranking to be proud of -- Houston is on top when it comes to burning things to avoid of paying for them. On Wednesday, investigators unveiled an unusual tool to fight the crime -- a 12-foot trailer.

It is not the kind of crime-fighting tool that most people think could help in arson investigations.

"The Houston area, Harris County is number one in the nation for vehicle arson," said Brett Walker, from the Texas Association of Special Investigations Unit. The unit partnered with Crime Stoppers of Houston to donate the trailer.

"A lot of it we think is the economy right now," said Dean Hensley, an investigator for the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office. "A lot of people are out of work."

Insurance fraud is not a new problem for the Houston area.

Harris County investigators have filed felony charges against doctors, flight attendants, even a teacher who arranged for two of her students to torch her car because it was scheduled to be repossessed.

Those people who get caught all give different reasons for their actions.

"We had a person burn their own vehicle because it was a standard and she wanted automatic," said Hensley.

Investigators hope the new trailer, a sort of roving billboard, will entice people with information to report insurance fraud crimes.

After all, it is our money.

"We can't always solve every crime," said Hensley. "There are a lot of these vehicle fires, and even these home fires, that we don't catch. A lot of people get away with it, and we all in the end pay with our insurance premiums."