I used to have a Jacobs "Stop Thief" device, which allowed the vehicle to start and run for 30 or so seconds before stalling the engine. Attempted restarts were possible the first time (as a safety for the real owner - the stall would be a warning to find and hit the switch) and the engine would run for about 10 seconds. After that the more you tried to crank the engine, the longer it would take before the system would reset. Because the device was tied to the electronic ignition, the only way to defeat it was to remove it entirely and reinstate the original ignition. I believe there are other manufacturers of similar devices. The switch was a micro switch easily hidden in the location of your choice, and it had a valet position so you could temporarily override it without telling the parking attendant where the switch was located, or that it even had a theft device on board.
Alarms are rarely effective. A stop thief is very effective because it permits the vehicle to be moved, but only a short distance, and it is not tied to the ignition switch, but the ignition itself. Moving a vehicle raises the offense to GTA, a felony in most states.
