The city is out of control…
Car theft has been a growing problem for many parts of the country since 2019, although much of the media tried pinning the problem on covid. Now that the pandemic has faded into the background the problem has only grown larger in certain cities. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara seems particularly frustrated with the problem which has exploded at a rate of 95% versus a year ago.
Find out why a study concludes young people are car theft magnets here.
In one week, 190 cars were stolen in Minneapolis. Out of those, 76% were Kias and Hyundais. We’ve seen similar numbers out of other metropolitans where kids are recruited to swipe cars or just learn how to do it from one of many tutorials posted on social media platforms.
With Kias and Hyundais, certain models lack an electronic engine immobilizer, something which was standard on almost all cars come the early part of this century. Thieves have learned all it takes to start these cars is a USB charger.
"This is an outrageous problem here in the neighborhoods," said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. "People see everyday kids out joyriding in these cars, driving reckless and it's a real public safety hazard."
Chief O’Hara believes kids are “out of control” because they have no fear of consequences. This is another theme we’ve seen in areas with exploding car theft rates: suspects get arrested but are released almost immediately, then face either no consequences or next to no consequences in court. With plenty of incentives to steal cars, they just keep doing it.
What O’Hara is cited in a CBS News article as a solution to the problem is to hold automakers accountable for not making their cars harder to steal. He also said there needs to be “support for mom and grandma who come to us and say ‘I can’t control my kid.’”
If only there were an institution as old as society itself that could correct this problem.
Source and image: CBS News
