Fancy rims can mean big business for local tire shops. They're flashy and expensive.
"We have the chrome wheels, which cost more money than the black wheels because it's shinier gets more attention," said Jehad Bataineh, owner of Good Deels Wheels and Tires in Oak Cliff.
But that attention may just come at another valuable price, according to Dallas Police Deputy Chief Albert Martinez.
"They can hit and be gone in a matter of minutes," he said.
Martinez said the high-end expensive rims have created an underground black market criminal enterprise.
Bataineh said he knows all too well the signs of that.
"They have tried before, but I won't buy from them because I know the wheels have not come from a safe source," Bataineh said.
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"People have basically woke from their sleep and found their vehicle basically on blocks, four tires and rims removed," said Martinez.
Police said the criminals are industrious, they work just like a tire shop, with jacks and tire irons.
The thefts are happening all over Dallas, police said mainly in apartment complexes. So far this year, officers have taken nearly 650 reports of tire thefts, compared to 542 last year.
Police said the criminals are also ripping off entire tailgates just to get to the back-up cameras.
"They need to mark them in a way that is unique to themselves whether that can be driver's license number, a four digit number or a symbol, something only they would know and recognize," Martinez said.
As for the rims, something as simple as a tire lock can be a deterrent. "They have a special key, the criminals, they don't have the key, just the customer has the key to take those wheels off. Nobody can take it," said Bataineh.
