High levels of car theft, carjackings and other crimes continue to plague cities around US
(TND) — A spike in carjackings, thefts and other crimes that started during the coronavirus pandemic is continuing in many parts of the country as fearful residents push their city’s leaders to do more to address the problem amid fears for their safety or discovering they lost their vehicle.
FBI data shows a noticeable and aggressive influx of car thefts in 2020, a trend that has continued to this year. Compared to before the pandemic in 2019 when there were 220.8 car thefts per 100,000 people, the rate of the incidents has continued to climb. Car thefts jumped to 246 per 100,000 people in 2020 and reached 282.7 in 2022, the most recent year in the FBI’s crime database.
Property crimes — which the FBI includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson — were also on the rise in 2022, which comes after a steady decline since 2012. There were about 1,954 property crimes per 100,000 people in 2022, an uptick from 1,832 the year prior.
The surges in property crimes comes as many parts of the country are seeing reductions in the levels of violent crimes like murders and shootings — though they are still above pre-pandemic levels — but many residents and businessowners have voiced safety concerns or frustrations with lost time, money and sense of security as some crimes continue proliferate.
Cities across the country experiencing the worst spikes:
WASHINGTON, D.C.
The nation’s capital has struggled to get a hold of soaring carjackings and car thefts, making it one of the most dangerous places to have and drive a vehicle in the country.
Washington has had multiple high-profile incidents over the last several years that highlight the growing issue, including an FBI agent being carjacked this week, a U.S. congressman who had his vehicle taken at gunpoint by three suspects outside his apartment and an attempted carjacking last year that left Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson with gunshot wounds.
Despite the series of notable incidents, the city has struggled to get a handle on the problem. It has already surpassed 900 carjackings in 2023, a 100% increase from last year. The Metropolitan Police Department said 77% of the incidents involved guns and 66% of the 157 arrests made so far involve juvenile suspects.
City officials are set to address a crime bill later this week in an attempt to tamp down the rate of crime that has plagued Washington.
“This legislation reflects what our community is telling us: they want appropriate accountability for those who choose to commit crimes and inflict fear in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser, when announcing the legislation. “At a time when we’re dealing with historically low staffing levels at MPD, we’re making common-sense changes that recognize the day-to-day operational challenges our officers experience and that will better support safe and effective policing.”
SAN ANTONIO
San Antonio is dealing with a 60% surge in vehicle thefts in 2023, which comes after another spike in 2022. There were over 14,000 thefts from January to September this year, a spike from the nearly 9,000 that were reported in the same period last year.
Overall, San Antonio has had 17,600 car thefts so far this year.
City officials say they are making cutting down vehicle thefts and carjackings a priority and are working with the police department to find the most effective strategy.
San Antonio police recently launched a holiday deterrence program and has a task force to proactively prevent people from becoming victims as thieves target parking lots and vehicles with valuables or shopping bags sitting inside.
“They are targeting organized crime groups. They're eliminating chop shops, they're deploying bait vehicles to try and catch the criminals in the process. And so, we feel good about the strategies in place, but it's going to be a heavy lift,” city councilmember Alderete Gavito told WOAI/KABB.
BALTIMORE
Baltimore has had a staggering 10,000 vehicles stolen in 2023 as the city has struggled to get the issue in check despite improvements in violent crimes like shootings and homicides.
Data from the city’s police department shows Baltimore is on track to have fewer than 300 murders for the first time in nine years, but residents are still feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods amid a spike in robberies and car thefts.
"Car thefts are a big problem. They lead to people driving fast, causing accidents, killing other people, killing themselves. In carjackings, many times there is a weapon involved, and people get shot and killed," Rob Weinhold, a crisis leadership expert, told WBFF. "While people are fixed on this homicide rate and it's a really important data point for a lot of different reasons, all of the other crimes are important, whether it's a violent crime, property crime, or whatever, because it rolls up into quality of life, and if people are scared to be outside after dark, there's a real economic impact for not just Baltimore City but the State of Maryland."
Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner announced new initiatives to address the crisis earlier this month. The city told WBFF earlier this week that in the 28-day period since the new strategy was put in place, there has been a 21% decline in auto thefts when compared to the same timeframe last year.
“Our work really falls into four buckets: One is prevention, two is deterrence, three is enforcement, and four is continued legal action against negligent manufacturers,” Scott said.
SEATTLE
Seattle and parts of its surrounding areas have also seen surges in vehicle theft as part of a wider issue in the state. According to the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority, there was a 45% increase in stolen cars between 2022 and 2021.
Data from the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force released last month showed there were an average of 71 cars stolen from King and Pierce counties every day in September, the two largest in the state. Seattle is located in King County and Tacoma is in Pierce County.
The task force pointed to the trend of stealing Kia and Hyundais, which are able to be quickly taken due to a manufacturer failure, as a driver of the trend.
The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has seen the number of vehicles stolen on the property double this year despite hundreds of cameras surveilling garages. Seattle has also struggled with a rise in break-ins and smash-and-grabs at businesses around the city, which has prompted some, including Starbucks, to close locations altogether.
Some of the victims have blamed a lack of consequences for the spike in problems with property crimes.
“You look at the rise of car thefts and property crimes in the Seattle area, and people aren’t afraid of the consequence which leaves all of us holding the bag," Edward Holmes, who had his truck stolen from the airport, told KOMO. “It feels like the police have their hands bound, and we end up paying the price for it. The bar is set so low that now there’s no incentive for people to stop."
ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
The city of Rochester in western New York is experiencing one of the most drastic increases in vehicle thefts this year as part of a broader trend in the region. Monroe County, where Rochester is located, has seen a 345% spike this year, according to state Sen. Jeremy Cooney. In city of Rochester alone, that spike has been an alarming 829%.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said there had been nearly 4,000 cars stolen prior to the end of October, and law enforcement said a vast majority of the suspects are between the ages of 14 and 16.
State lawmakers are working to cut the number of vehicle thefts down with the introduction of the Car Theft Prevention Act, which would give judges more discretion with bail or remanding a suspect to custody in cases that involve stolen vehicles. Proponents of the legislation argue it would cut down on the number of repeat offenders.
"This change in no way requires the assignment of bail," Cooney told WHAM. "It simply provides local judges with the option to set that at their discretion, based on circumstances of the accused."
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