BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Baltimore City has surpassed 10,000 auto thefts this year. The Baltimore Police Department has given out more than 3,000 steering wheel locks to residents, but these auto thefts are still happening.
John Floyd, a Baltimore resident, and auto theft victim, says “When I looked out the window at 6, my car was gone.”
Over the weekend, Floyd had his car stolen for the second time.
“On my camera there was two guys standing at my car, attempting to break in,” said Floyd. “I had a steering wheel locking system on it, so how they got through it, I don’t know.”
The thieves weren’t deterred by his steering wheel lock and security cameras.
Fox 45 News Employee, Jimmy Mathis, also knows the struggle of having a car stolen.
“Right before Thanksgiving last Sunday, my car which is a Volkswagen Passat was stolen a couple blocks from the station,” said Mathis.
He called Baltimore Police, they didn’t show up, but they took a police report.
“Within about two hours after the car was stolen, the vehicle was involved in an accident,” said Mathis. “The police called me back and told me it would be at city impound, but that’s the last I heard from the police and that was last Sunday.”
The police told Mathis that three juveniles had taken his car, and after visiting the city impound lot Mathis says his car is no longer drivable.
“It’s not just property theft if you don’t own your home your car is probably the most valuable thing you own,” he said. “It’s not a luxury, it’s the way you get your kids to school, it’s how you get to your job.”
According to Baltimore Police data, there has been 10.3 thousand auto thefts so far this year including attempted auto thefts.
Earlier this month, Mayor Brandon Scott and Police Commissioner Richard Worley announced new initiatives to address the auto theft crisis.
“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,” said Mayor Scott.
However, victims of these thefts say the message to thieves needs to be stronger.
“The city has a basic responsibility to protect its citizens, and part of that is their property,” said Mathis. “We spend so much time focusing on violent crime and shootings, but quality of life issues in the city matter, especially if you want to get people to voluntarily move back into the city.”
The victims are also left paying for the thieves’ actions.
“I’m the victim but I’m being treated like the villain,” said Floyd. “I mean these guys go around stealing these cars every day and we have to dig in our pockets for something they destroyed, it’s not right, and the city needs to do something.”
A spokesperson for Baltimore Police sent Fox 45 News a statement that says:
“The Baltimore Police Department, along with our partners within Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s administration continue to work aggressively in addressing the surge in auto thefts throughout the city. This includes a 21% reduction in auto thefts in the last 28-days and multiple wheel lock giveaway events. Just yesterday, BPD arrested seven juveniles for auto theft related offenses. In addition to these arrests, 14 auto theft arrests have been made in the past week. The Department has given out more than 3,000 wheel locks and have partnered with Kia at their recent anti-theft software clinics in area, with another anti-theft software clinic coming to Baltimore soon. Auto theft arrests are up significantly (93% for juveniles arrested and 45% for adults arrested) and we will continue to identify and arrests those responsible for these incidents.”
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November 28, 2023 at 03:05AM
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Baltimore auto thefts surpass 10,000 despite preventive measures - Fox Baltimore
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