As he scoured the streets of Bremerton in search of a suspect who’d just stolen a car, patrol officer David Hughes came upon a man walking briskly in a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt - in nearly freezing temperatures.

The veteran cop’s seasoned instincts told him the man’s clothing in that kind of weather was simply too suspicious. He stopped him for questioning.

Armed with an excellent memory and an eye for suspicious activity, Hughes has made finding vehicles one of his primary passions as an officer. He’s also developed a reputation in his department.

"I used to accuse him of stealing cars just so he could find them," said Bremerton Police Detective Robbie Davis, who used to work with Hughes on the graveyard shift. "He has a knack for it. It’s just uncanny."

He looks for a variety of clues while he patrols. If he sees a taped up or open window on a chilly night, it might be that thieves broke in through the window and have taken the car for a joyride. If he spots a missing door lock on a car, he suspects the car door might have been jimmied open. If cars are strewn about a known drug house, he’ll check the license plates to see if any have been reported stolen.

Often when he finds someone driving a stolen car, the driver will be "looking around a lot," and then turn quickly if he sees a law enforcement vehicle - another telltale sign, he says.

Hughes has found most theft is unorganized and random, and most thieves, "are just using them to get from (point) A to B." However, every now and then he notices that similar makes and models begin showing up on the hot sheet. To Hughes, that means a professional is in town.

His passion for finding stolen cars stems from his belief that a victim of car theft can be crippled financially and be rendered immobile at the same time.

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